Superior Sister Switch
by MegaBob452
Summary: Never mix blue fire with spirit water.  Azula and Katara learn this the hard way, by switching bodies.  Can Katara stand being the princess without going insane?  Can Azula stomach being a peasant without killing everyone?  Inspired by 'In His Shoes'.
1. Sugar and Spice

_A/N: I am really starting to hate Plot Bunnies. They just don't stop breeding until you write down a new story for them to move into._

_This story is directly inspired by 'In His Shoes' written by AvocadoLove, to the point where I considered using 'In Her Heels' as a title. It didn't seem right to rip off the title like that so I chose something else. However if enough people (or AvocadoLove) think that's better than the title I'm using now I will change it to 'In Her Heels'. It's the same concept as the other story, but applied to different characters._

_This story starts during The Drill. Mostly Azula POV for this chapter.  
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Chapter 1: Sugar and Spice

It had been a split second decision. Either chase the Avatar through one end of the Drill, or chase the two peasants running the other way. Azula couldn't do both at the same time, but fortunately had Ty Lee and Mai to take the path she couldn't. She had to choose one direction and have her friends take the other one.

"Ty Lee, Mai, your turn to fight the Avatar. I'll deal with those peasants" Azula ordered.

Azula ran down the metal hallway after the peasants, moving towards the rear of the Drill. She could hear them arguing as they ran, and Azula followed the noise. Eventually she reached a dead end, occupied by one of the maintenance hatches for the slurry pipeline. Azula spotted the peasants climbing into the open hatch and threw a blue fireblast at them, but they dropped into the pipe before the blast could hit them.

Walking up to the hatch, Azula looked inside it. _I should have sent Ty Lee this way_ she thought while judging whether or not it was worth it to follow in the slurry. _So much for these clothes_ she thought and climbed into the hatch, then dropping into the slurry.

The mixture of water and rock made Azula unnaturally buoyant in the slurry, preventing any chance of drowning in the dark pipe. As the slurry carried her along Azula saw a light appear at the end of the pipe. The light shined in her eyes as the slurry carried her out of the pipe and outside the back of the Drill. Just before hitting the ground the slurry moved backwards, carrying Azula back up and plugging the back of the Drill. Looking down Azula saw one of the peasants bending the water in the slurry.

"Try shooting lightning in that!" the girl yelled.

Instead of lightning Azula sent a blue fireblast at the peasant, who blocked by bending some spilled slurry into a shield. While the peasant blocked Azula swam up the slurry, grabbed the edge of the pipe and pulled herself out of the slurry. Then she jumped off the Drill and used twin blasts of blue fire to slow her fall. Azula landed on the ground, splashing the spilled slurry in the impact.

For a moment, Azula locked eyes with the girl peasant. Then Azula sent a large blue fireblast at her, forcing the girl to stop bending the slurry to defend herself. While the girl blocked Azula's fire the slurry rushed out of the pipe and hit everyone behind the Drill. The slurry carried everyone away from the Drill, sending Azula and the girl to the right and sending the boy to the left. When the flow subsided with distance Azula was alone with the girl peasant.

Immediately after getting up the peasant bended some slurry into a whip and attacked Azula with it. Creating a whip of her own out of blue fire Azula fought back, creating steam each time the whips struck each other. After blocking a strike from the peasant Azula fired several blue fireblasts, then charged a lightning blast while the peasant blocked the fire. Azula stepped on top of a small boulder while charging the lightning, then fired it at the slurry that the peasant was standing in.

The lightning hit the slurry and conducted through it. Most of the energy was diluted and diverted into the earth, but there was enough left to reach the peasant and flow up her legs. The peasant fell to the ground in pain, her legs shocked into paralysis. Azula stepped off the small boulder and walked towards the peasant.

"This is what happens when you fight your betters, peasant" Azula gloated. Looking down she spotted the peasant reaching for something hidden beneath her shirt. Curious, Azula let the peasant continue, spotting a small blue vial on a string. Before the peasant could do anything with the vial Azula stepped on her wrist, making her drop it. Azula grabbed the vial and held it close to her face, examining it.

"Give that back!" the peasant yelled.

"So this is precious to you" Azula said. She opened the stopper on the vial and looked at the contents. _Strange, seems like plain old water_ she thought and put the stopper back on it. "Why would a Water Tribe Peasant carry around water in a fancy vial?"

"You wouldn't understand what that is" the peasant said.

"A shame, then maybe I should just get rid of it" Azula said. She tossed the vial up into the air and sent a blue fireblast at it. The blue flames surrounded the vial and the heat shattered it, dispersing the water and sprinkling the peasant and Azula with hot drops of water.

"No…" the girl said quietly.

"If there's nothing else, I believe it's time to wrap this up" Azula said.

Azula was about to finish the peasant when the little drops of water from the vial started to glow. Tiny dots of blue light shined on Azula and the peasant, which spread across their bodies. The glow on Azula turned dark while the peasant glowed brightly. Then the dark glow flowed from Azula to the peasant while the reverse happened with the light glow, stopping when Azula glowed bright and the peasant glowed dark. In a flash the glow disappeared, the only physical effect healing the peasant's body.

Suddenly Azula found herself lying on her chest, confused about the abrupt change in position. She immediately got to her feet and turned to face her opponent. Azula's mouth dropped when she saw that her opponent was herself. She could only stare as she saw herself staring at her perfect fingernails, equally shocked.

"What did you…" Azula stopped when it wasn't her voice coming from her mouth. Instinctively she placed a hand on her throat, then noticed that her hand was dark skinned. Looking down she saw that she was wearing blue clothing covered in slurry. _This can't be real! _she thought.

"Me! You destroyed the spirit water!" the peasant yelled with Azula's voice. She swung her arms to bend the slurry, but got a handful of blue flames in her hands which dispersed harmlessly. Azula reacted by punching the air with both fists to firebend, but sent a wave of slurry behind her.

"OW!" a boy's voice cried out. Both girls turned to the voice and saw the boy peasant getting up after being hit by the slurry. "Katara! What was that for!" he yelled.

_That's the peasant's name? _Azula wondered. Then she noticed that the peasant had been yelling at her, unaware she wasn't really Katara. Then she spotted fear on the boy's face as he spotted the other girl, immediately throwing his boomerang at her. The girl dodged the boomerang but slipped in the slurry, falling to the ground.

"It's time to go!" the boy yelled and grabbed Azula's arm. The boomerang came back around and the boy caught it with his free hand. He pulled Azula away from Katara, heading back towards the Drill. Uncertain what to do, Azula let the peasant lead her away. Within minutes Azula found herself in front of the Avatar and the blind earthbender.

"So… Where do we go from here?" Azula asked.

"Did you hit your head Sugarqueen?" the earthbender asked. "We're going into Ba Sing Se, as much as I hate to admit it."

"Toph, how can you hate a place without being there?" the Avatar asked.

"It's a city, it's bound to be full of rules and people saying what we can and can't do" Toph said.

"Well they might make an exception for us, seeing as Aang is the Avatar" the peasant said. "Not to mention how we stopped that Drill."

"Yes, put some pressure on the guards for saving their city for them" Azula said. "Make them bring us inside or else we do something to them."

"Katara, did Sokka slip come cactus juice into your water?" Toph asked.

"I did not!" Sokka yelled.

"I'm fine, just plain old me" Azula said. _Once I figure out how this body works you are all dead._

**OOOOOOOOOO**_  
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_A few minutes earlier…_

Getting up from the slurry, Katara watched Sokka drag herself away. Alone, the reality of what happened hit her. _I'm her… and she's me…_ Katara thought. _I have to do something to warn them…_

"Azuuulllaaaaaaa!" a new voice shouted, interrupting Katara's thoughts. She turned and saw Ty Lee running towards her, with Mai slowly walking behind her. "There you are!"

"We Lost" Mai said.

_Okay, I can work with this_ Katara thought. "Where have you two been?" she asked, trying to sound like someone in charge.

"We were fighting the Avatar, like you told us to" Ty Lee said.

"But he wrecked the Drill" Mai said.

"So what should we do now Azula?" Ty Lee asked.

_Got to play the part_ Katara thought. "First we get cleaned up. Bring me some new clothes to replace this filth. Then punish whoever thought using a big drill was a good idea."

"Can do" Ty Lee said.

_A/N: Thoughts? Opinions? Ideas? I welcome any criticism you may have._


	2. Princess and Peasant

Chapter 2: Princess and Peasant

It turned out that there was no need to threaten your way into Ba Sing Se when you're traveling with the Avatar. Azula expected some level of distrust for the Avatar, since he had seemingly abandoned the world for a hundred years. The General on the wall had gratefully allowed the Avatar and his friends inside the city, providing them with passage to the city's upper ring as a thank you for saving his hide.

Azula kept her mouth shut as much as possible while they walked into the city. She didn't want to slip up and give herself away, knowing absolutely nothing about the peasant whose body she was in. It also disgusted her to use a peasant's voice, since it had no class behind it. People didn't instantly obey her anymore, and that lack of control frustrated Azula. When everyone boarded a train Azula found herself with no way out of the conversation.

"Katara, why have you been so quite lately?" Sokka asked. Azula didn't say anything in response. "Katara, are you in there?"

_Oh right, he's referring to me _Azula thought. "Sorry, just thinking a lot."

"Really? I thought you would be excited to finally be in a place where we don't have to deal with Prince Jerk or the Dangerous Ladies" Sokka said.

Azula suppressed a laugh. _Prince Jerk, I have to use that on Zuzu _she thought. "Well I'm just thinking about how we're going to complete our goals" she said.

"Simple, talk to the Earth King about the war then search for Appa" Sokka explained. "Care to share any of your ideas?"

For a moment, Azula wasn't sure what to say. She glanced out the window and saw the inner wall approaching. "Look, the inner wall" she said, trying to avoid the question. "We finally made it to Ba Sing Se intact."

"Don't jinx it!" Sokka shouted. "We could still be attacked by some giant exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp."

Azula was about to say something when Toph beat her to it. "Have you been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph asked.

"I'm just saying, weird stuff happens to us" Sokka said. As if on cue a large man sat down between Sokka and Toph while sucking on corn.

_You don't know the half of it_ Azula thought. She looked at Aang and saw that he seemed to be depressed. _Since when was the Avatar just like Mai? _"What's keeping you so gloomy?" she asked.

"It's a big city" Aang said. "We might not find Appa."

"He's a giant bison, where could someone possible hide him?" Sokka asked. Then the train passed through a tunnel in the inner wall, and on the other side everyone saw just how large the city was.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile Katara was busy trying to appear as the Fire Nation princess. Ty Lee and Mai had taken her to the nearest military camp to stay at for the time being. The general in charge had immediately given up his personal tent when he saw Katara approach, knowing the princess would only tolerate the best he had to offer.

Inside the tent Katara was trying on fresh clothing to replace the ruined ones she had. It felt horrible to dress someone else's body, especially one that had tried to kill her before. Eventually she settled on a copy of the outfit that she remembered seeing Azula wear each time she had to fight her. With the new clothes on Katara looked at herself in a full size mirror.

_Even her reflection looks like it's going to kill me _Katara thought as she looked at the mirror. Those amber eyes just seemed wrong to her, as if staring at them long enough would burn her. Then there was that royal headpiece in her hair, marking her as Fire Nation. She pulled out the headpiece and threw it at the mirror, shattering the glass.

The sound of glass breaking caught the attention of two elderly women outside the tent. They both entered the tent and saw their princess with her hair down. Li and Lo were concerned for her, wondering why she could break a mirror like that.

"Is something wrong" Li said.

"Princess Azula?" Lo asked.

_Everything is wrong_ Katara thought, wanting to yell it at them. "I thought I made it clear to not be interrupted!" Katara yelled instead.

"We're concerned for your wellbeing" Li said.

"Maybe you should get some rest" Lo suggested.

Katara sighed. "Maybe you're right" she said. "Just make sure no one comes in during the meantime."

"Very well Azula" Li said.

"Sweet dreams" Lo said.

Katara watched them leave the tent, relieved that they were gone. _Why would she take advice from them? _ Katara thought. Even though Li and Lo were technically her enemies, Katara realized that their suggestion to rest could help. So she found a bed in the tent and lied down in it to take a nap.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back in Ba Sing Se, the train carrying Azula and the others pulled into a station in the lower ring. Everyone walked out of the train and took in the view of the city. Everyone except Toph of course.

"Back in the city, great…" Toph said.

"What's the problem?" Sokka asked. "It's amazing."

"Just a bunch of walls and rules" Toph said. "You wait, you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."

"Well if the rules become a problem we'll just have to bend them out of our way" Azula said. _If this city is anything like New Ozai I should be in charge after a week _she thought. _In this body, probably a month or two…_

While they talked a new woman in a yellow uniform walked up to them. Azula spotted the woman's strange smile, noting that it seemed forced. "Hello, my name is Joo Dee. I have been give the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, and Toph. Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

"Yes, we have information vital to the war effort the king has to see immediately" Sokka explained.

"Great! Let's begin our tour. Then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you will like it" Joo Dee said.

_Is she deaf? _Azula wondered.

"Maybe you missed what I said? We need to talk to the king about the war" Sokka said. "It's important."

"You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here" Joo Dee said.

_She's dodging the issue _Azula thought. "Can we just get going already?" she asked.

"Of course, off we go" Joo Dee said. She led everyone away from the train station and boarded a cart pulled by ostrich-horses. The cart moved through the lower ring first, heading deeper into the city.

"What's that wall for?" Sokka asked as he spotted one further in the city.

"Ba Sing Se has many walls" Joo Dee said. "There are the ones outside protecting us, and the ones inside that help maintain order. This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen and artisans, people who work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively." Out the window everyone saw people holding swords and eyeing the cart. "You do want to watch your step though."

_Interesting… _Azula thought. _We could use these back at the capital._ Looking out the window she observed how the walls kept the lower class contained and separated from their betters. "Well at least we won't have to deal with the questionable types, going to the upper ring" Azula said.

"This is why I never came here before" Aang said. "I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile in the military camp, Katara was tossing and turning in her sleep. She was dreaming, and in the dream it appeared that she was back at the South Pole. Walking through her home village Katara noticed that it was abandoned, as though everyone had fled only minutes earlier. Turning around she saw Sokka and Kanna in the distance.

"Hey, wait up!" Katara shouted. They turned to face her, and then with fear on their faces they ran away. Katara tried to catch up to them, but they were too fast and vanished in the distance. Out of nowhere a wall of fire rose up in Katara's path, so she turned around and saw Aang lying on the ice with Zuko standing over him.

"Thank you sis, I couldn't have done it without you" Zuko said.

Enraged, Katara tried to bend the ice into a wave of water to force Zuko away from Aang. Instead she got a wave of blue fire which incinerated Zuko and Aang together. The flames vanished and Katara was alone, horrified at her actions.

Suddenly the ice shattered beneath her feet, sending her plummeting into an abyss. Falling through empty space Katara saw the moon above, quickly moving away from her. Below her was the sun, and she was falling into it. Katara reached for the moon, screaming "Don't leave me!" but she kept falling. The sun's light outshined the moon as Katara was consumed by its flames.

Immediately Katara woke up drenched in cold sweat. _I can't do this_ she thought. _I can't be Her. _Katara put the headpiece back in her hair just to keep up appearances and then walked out of the tent. Ignoring questions about where she was going, Katara walked out of the military camp. She was nearly out of sight from the camp when she heard and unnaturally perky voice calling for Azula.

Katara stopped and waited for Ty Lee to run up to her. "What is it?" Katara asked bluntly.

"Look what I found" Ty Lee said. She held up her hand, which was holding onto a small clump of white fur.

_Appa! _Katara thought, recognizing the fur. "Where did you find that?" she asked.

"It was between here and Full Moon Bay" Ty Lee answered. "So are we going to track down the Avatar again?"

"Yes" Katara said. _If I can get Appa back to Aang he'll believe that I'm not Azula._

**OOOOOOOOOO**_  
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"Here we are, you're new home" Joo Dee said.

Azula looked at the house provided for the Avatar in the upper ring. It was the nicest looking house in the area, but quite some distance from the palace. Looking around she spotted several places that could be used to spy on the house, including the roofs of nearby buildings. _Keeping us where we can be monitored, they're hiding something in this city _Azula thought.

Before they could enter the house a messenger arrived and delivered a scroll to Joo Dee. The woman read the scroll quickly. "Good news everyone, your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month" she said. "Much more quickly than usual."

"A Month!" Sokka complained.

"Six to eight weeks, actually" Joo Dee said.

_Just be grateful that you can actually see the king eventually _Azula thought. Back in the Fire Nation you didn't 'request' an audience with the Fire Lord unless you were royalty, and everyone else had to wait for the Fire Lord to summon you to his throne room. Azula was glad they were being delayed, since it gave her time to plan her next move.

"If we're going to be here for a month we should spend our time looking for Appa" Aang suggested.

"I'll be happy to escort you anywhere you like to go" Joo Dee said.

"That won't be necessary" Azula said. "You're dismissed."

"I won't be in the way…"

"Dismissed!" Azula said.

"Leaving you alone would make me a bad host" Joo said.

Azula walked up to Joo Dee really close to whisper without anyone else hearing. "Leave or I will make certain that you never work anywhere in this city ever again!" She watched Joo Dee's smile waver for a moment, who then nodded and left the house. _Now that's more like it _Azula thought.

"Finally" Toph said. "She was getting on my nerves."

"Yea and I doubt she would be any help looking for Appa" Aang said.

"She would have gotten in the way" Azula said.

"Well then we better start searching for Appa" Sokka said.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay here and get settled in while the rest of you go" Azula said.

"Okay" Sokka said. "Could you cook some dinner for when we get back?"

_Cook? _Azula thought. "Um... sure?" she said. _Where's Ty Lee when you need her?_

**OOOOOOOOOO**_  
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Outside the military camp, Katara was looking at three mongoose-dragons. Ty Lee and Mai had climbed into the saddles of the left and right creatures, leaving the middle one available for Katara. She slowly climbed up the creature, taking her time to not fall off. Once in the saddle Katara grabbed the reins, wondering how to make the creature move.

"Um, Yip Yip?" She quietly said. The creature only spit its tongue out in response. _I guess that only works on Appa _she thought. Then she pulled on the reins and the creature took off, running across the land. Katara had to suppress a scream, surprised at how quickly the creature had accelerated. After taking a few minutes to get accustomed to riding she looked back and saw Ty Lee and Mai keeping pace with her.

While riding towards Full Moon Bay, Katara thought about her situation. She was traveling with her enemies to track down her friend's sky bison which would think of her as the enemy. There had to be some irony in that observation. Katara had no idea how to explain what happened to her friends. _Hi, I'm not the crazy firebender but the girl that found you in the iceberg… _It sounded ridiculous in her head.

At sundown they reached the shores of Full Moon Bay. Looking around Katara spotted another clump of white fur on the ground. This one was burned at one end, which worried Katara. _What have you been through Appa? _she wondered while holding the burned fur. "We're making camp here and keep an eye out for the bison" Katara ordered, which still felt strange giving out commands with a different voice.

Like well trained pets, Ty Lee and Mai immediately started following the order. They set up a tent for Katara and a second one for themselves. While they worked Katara walked to a nearby river to draw water to cook with and brought it back to the campsite. When she set down a pot of water Ty Lee and Mai stared at her.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

"No no no" Ty Lee said. "Did you want to cook with me tonight?"

"If you don't mind" Katara said.

"Great, this will be fun" Ty Lee said.

Ty Lee lit a fire with spark rocks and set the pot of water to boil. Katara looked through the food supplies and found a lot of raw turtleduck meat with Azula's name on the wrappings. _Must be her favorite… _Katara thought. She boiled the meat and made turtleduck stew with it and various spices that Ty Lee provided.

When the stew was ready Mai was the first to try it. Katara couldn't be certain, but it looked like Mai smiled for half a second after the first bite. "It's alright" Mai said.

"Well I think it's excellent" Ty Lee said after eating her own stew. "You're a really great cook Azula."

_Must not shudder… Must not shudder… _Katara thought at being complemented as someone she hated. "Well I try" she said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

At the Avatar's house in Ba Sing Se, the kitchen was in ruins. Filthy pots and pans lay everywhere, various pieces of what used to be raw ingredients sticking to everything. The only things close to edible were the slabs of meat which were burned on the outside but still frozen on the inside. Azula had tried to cook but failed miserably, having always delegated her cooking to servants and Ty Lee.

"Screw this, I'm ordering takeout" Azula said.


	3. Flames and Fashion

Chapter 3: Flames and Fashion

At sunrise, Katara woke up before Ty Lee and Mai. She walked out of the campsite and put some distance away from it, stopping next to where a river emptied into Full Moon Bay. Katara wanted some time alone to experiment, to see if any of her waterbending had carried over with her mind. While standing on the sand Katara took a waterbending stance.

It didn't feel right in that fighting form. Her body was too stiff and rigid, refusing to flow freely. It was used to releasing energy outward, not taking it from the environment and redirecting it elsewhere. The forms Katara knew by heart were sloppy and becoming difficult to perform. Trying to waterbend felt like she was fighting against herself.

_Figures… She's not even here and she's getting in my way _Katara thought. Struggling with her usual forms, she resorted to the very basics. But even dropping down to merely pushing and pulling the water did absolutely nothing, the water wasn't responding to her movements. Frustrated, Katara threw down her arms, and then blue fire shot out from her fists. Looking down Katara saw that she had melted some of the sand into glass.

"Just great… can't bend even a drop of water, but fire comes out without thinking" Katara muttered. Looking at the fresh glass Katara saw a distorted reflection of Azula, as if it were mocking her. She stepped on the glass and shattered the reflection. "Okay… I have to get the fire under control" she muttered. "What did Jeong Jeong have Aang do?"

Thinking back, Katara tried to remember when Aang tried to learn firebending. She remembered being burned when Aang refused to follow Jeong Jeong's instructions. It had led to her discovering how to heal, and a conversation with Jeong Jeong.

"_Water brings healing and life. But fire brings only destruction and pain. It forces those of us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, we are torn apart._"

"Well that doesn't help" Katara muttered. That was the only time she had talked to Jeong Jeong herself. She hadn't been paying attention to the instructions Jeong Jeong gave Aang, having been concentrating on waterbending at the time. "Who else do I know that could help?"

Thinking hard about it, Katara could only think of four other firebenders that she could remember by name. First was Zhao, and he was dead. Then there were Zuko and Iroh, who had helped fight Azula once. _They would probably attack me on sight _Katara thought. The final person was Azula herself, and she was outside Katara's reach.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"Katara! Wake up already!" Sokka yelled.

"Mom… I don't want to watch dum-dum train…" Azula muttered, lying in a bed. Then Sokka started shaking her, finally waking up Azula. She reacted and punched Sokka's face, sending him to the floor.

"OW!" Sokka yelled. "Did you have to hit so hard?" he asked while holding his hand on his nose.

_Oh right, peasant's body _Azula thought. Then she yawned. "What time is it?" she asked.

"It's nearly noon" Sokka said. "Since when do you sleep this late? That's supposed to be my job."

"Noon!" Azula shouted. She scrambled out of bed and ran into the backyard. The sun was high in the sky, moving through the day without her.

Sokka followed Azula outside. "Did I miss something last night that made you so tired?" he asked.

Azula ignored him, wondering how she could have slept in so late. _Firebenders rise with the sun _she thought. Then she realized what was going on. _I'm not a firebender anymore, and without the sun telling me when to rise I didn't know when to wake up._

"Where is everyone?" Azula asked.

Taking that question as her cue, Toph sprouted out of the ground with earthbending. "Sugarqueen's finally up" she said. "Who knew you could be just as lazy as your brother?"

"Hey, I'm only lazy when there's no one around that wants to kill us" Sokka complained.

_You are so wrong… _Azula thought. She wished she had a knife to stab into Sokka's back just to get rid of another lame excuse for a brother. Wondering how to create one of those ice spikes Katara could make Azula's thoughts were interrupted by Aang walking into the backyard.

"You guys, I know how we're going to see the Earth King" Aang said while holding a newsletter. It had been delivered to their house's mailbox and Aang was the first to check it.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Toph asked. "One doesn't just 'pop in' on the Earth King."

"The king is having a party for his pet bear" Aang said.

"You mean turtle-bear?" Azula asked.

"It just says bear" Aang said.

"Certainly his skunk-bear?" Sokka asked.

"Or his armadillo-bear?" Toph asked.

"Lizard-bear?" Azula asked.

"Just… bear" Aang said.

"This place is weird" Toph commented.

"Anyway, the place will be packed" Aang said. "We can sneak in with the crowd."

"Won't work" Toph said.

"Why not?" Aang asked.

"That's one of the oldest tricks in the book" Azula said. "The guards will see it coming a mile away."

"Plus you have no manners Twinkletoes" Toph said.

"What do you mean no manners?" Aang asked.

"No offense, but you never learned proper society behavior" Toph said.

"Did you?" Azula asked. "You sure don't look like it."

"Yes I did and I chose to leave it" Toph said.

"You learned it, you can teach us" Sokka suggested.

"I'm mastering every element, how hard can manners be?" Aang asked.

Immediately Aang and Sokka started acting 'fancy', or at least what they perceived to be fancy. They started making exaggerated bows, eventually heatbutting each other by accident. Azula pinched the bridge of her nose, not expecting them to fail manners so badly.

"You two wouldn't even pass as bus boys" Azula said.

"Exactly Sugarqueen" Toph said. "Guess it will just be you and me at the party."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In the afternoon Katara, Ty Lee, and Mai were riding their mongoose-dragons around Full Moon Bay. The last scrap of Appa's fur that they found had been on the beach, suggesting that the bison had flown across the bay. When they reached the other side Katara spotted another piece of fur and found the trail. It led into a forest, and Katara hoped that Appa wasn't too far away.

Along the way they stopped for lunch in a small clearing. While eating some lizard-bear jerky Ty Lee was curious about what the plan. "Hey Azula, isn't the Avatar separated from his bison?" she asked.

"Yes he is" Katara answered.

"Then why are we bothering with this?" Mai asked. "If they aren't together why go through the effort with the bison?"

_I need Appa to bring me to Aang… _Katara wanted to say. "Once we have the bison we can use it as bait."

"Oh I get it now" Ty Lee said. "That's a really good plan."

_And you are a really good suck up _Katara thought. Then she heard something rustling in the brush outside the clearing. "We're not alone" she said.

At that moment a boar-q-pine burst out of the brush, startling the mongoose-dragons. It charged at the three girls, forcing Katara and Mai to jump out of the way while Ty Lee cartwheeled instead. Once out of the beast's path Katara assumed a fighting stance that felt natural, then was surprised that it was a firebending stance.

_Muscle memory, figures _she thought. _It better apply to bending… _she thought and punched the air. Blue fire shot away from her fist and hit the beast's spines, which damaging them but leaving its skin unharmed. The beast turned and charged at Katara, forcing her to jump out of the way again. "Do something you two!" Katara yelled.

Ty Lee was keeping her distance from the beast. "Even if I knew where to hit on _that_ I would lose my hand!" Ty Lee yelled.

Mai was throwing knives at the beast, which were either deflected by its spines or barely cut its thick hide. "These weren't meant for this" she said.

"Just distract it!" Katara ordered. She saw Ty Lee cartwheel around the beast to draw its attention, luring it away from Katara and Mai. "You throw your knives and I'll firebend behind them" she ordered.

Mai nodded and threw several knives. At the same time Katara punched the air with both fists, making a large blue fireblast which overtook the knives. The blue fire struck the beast and damaged some spines. Immediately after that hot knives hit the beast, going through the damaged spines and hitting the skin. The hot knives burned into the beast's skin, creating enough pain to convince the beast to retreat.

"Where did that thing come from?" Ty Lee asked.

"I don't know" Katara said. Observing the battlefield she found some of the boar-q-pine's spines broken and lying on the ground. One of them had a few strands of white fur on it. "It fought the bison" she said as she picked up the strands of fur.

"Then it must be nearby" Mai said.

"Let's move" Katara ordered.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In the Avatar's house, Toph was teaching Azula proper society etiquette in the Earth Kingdom. Azula found similarities between them and the etiquette for the Fire Nation. The rules for personal interaction were nearly identical, including the rule about not talking to the common folk. The rules for appearances were completely different, which started to annoy Azula.

"How in the world am I supposed to fight in this?" Azula asked. She was wearing a light green dress that was tight around the chest and the legs, limiting her mobility.

"You're not" Toph said. "_Proper_ ladies let the guards do all the fighting."

"That's stupid" Azula said. "What would they do if someone lured the guards away to let others fight inside? They'd be helpless."

"Which is one of the many reasons I don't behave like a proper lady" Toph said.

"Yes, well if this plan backfires the first thing I'm doing is tear this dress so I can move" Azula said.

"Whatever" Toph said. "I think we're ready to go."

Azula and Toph walked towards the house's living room, where Aang and Sokka were playing Earth-Fire-Water to pass the time. When Azula opened the door the boys stared at her and Toph. They were surprised at the dresses and the makeup Toph had required for blending in with proper society.

"Wow! You look beautiful" Aang admitted.

"Filthy peasant, you will speak properly to your betters or suffer the consequences" Azula said.

No one spoke for a few seconds, then Toph broke the silence. "Good work Katara, you're a natural at sounding like a perfect, stuck-up noblewoman."

"So, once you're inside you will let us in, right?" Sokka asked.

"Just don't screw up" Azula said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Hot on the trail of a sky bison, Katara led the way through the forest. She pushed her mongoose-dragon as fast as it would move, wanting to reach Appa as fast as possible. In their way was a small steep hill, which the mongoose-dragons had no difficulty climbing over. Once on the other side Katara saw Appa down the trail, surrounded by women in green uniforms.

_Of all the times for Suki to show up… _Katara thought. She saw the Kyoshi Warriors draw their fans and shields to defend Appa. "Put those away, there's no need for a fight" Katara said. Mai and Ty Lee stared at Katara, wondering what she was planning.

"What do you want with us?" Suki asked.

"With you, nothing" Katara said. "I'm here for Appa."

"That thing has a name?" Mai asked.

"Well I think it's cute" Ty Lee said.

_Stupid! Azula didn't know that_ Katara thought. "Just hand him over and we can all part ways as unlikely friends."

The Kyoshi Warriors didn't back down, and Appa roared at Katara. "He doesn't like you" Suki said. "I don't like you either."

"Why must they always go with the hard way?" Ty Lee asked.

"You really don't want to get in our way" Mai said.

"We're not abandoning Appa" Suki said.

_I'm sorry Suki, I'll make it up to you later _Katara thought. Then she punched the air to send a blue fireblast at the Kyoshi Warriors, who locked their shields together to block. While the Warriors were occupied Katara, Ty Lee, and Mai jumped off the mongoose-dragons in order to fight better.

Once the first fireblast had dissipated the Kyoshi Warriors spread out for an attack. One of them was taken by surprise by Mai, ending up pinned to a tree by knives through her clothes. Another Warrior tried to fight Ty Lee, but the acrobat easily dodged and struck the Warrior's pressure points to paralyze her. Other Warriors moved in to take them down, but were no match for Mai and Ty Lee.

While most of the Warriors were occupied, Katara focused on Suki. Katara wanted to apologize for fighting her, but that would bring up to many questions and she didn't have time to explain. Sticking with basic blue fireblasts Katara pushed Suki back, who was blocking with her shield. One fireblast was deflected and hit a tree near Appa, setting it on fire.

Immediately Appa roared and tried to move away from the burning tree. "Sure, _Now_ you're afraid of fire…" Katara muttered.

"Go Appa! Fly away from here!" Suki shouted to Appa. The bison took to the air and flew while Suki attacked Katara with a katana. Katara dodged the blade and hit Suki's arm, forcing her to drop it. Suki drew her fan and stood ready for another attack.

"Don't fans just make flames stronger?" Katara asked. She sent a blue fireblast at Suki and then immediately ran to the side. Katara didn't bother to watch Suki block the fireblast, focusing on getting behind her. When the flames dispersed Katara was in position to trip Suki with her leg, and then with a kick to the stomach she defeated Suki.

"And once again, Victory is Boring" Mai said. She and Ty Lee were standing over the unconscious bodies of the Kyoshi Warriors.

"What should we do now Azula?" Ty Lee asked.

Katara looked up in the sky, and saw that Appa was already gone. _Even if I find him again he'd never cooperate with a firebender _she thought. "Forget the bison, he's not worth the effort now" she said. _I need another way to get back to my friends._

**OOOOOOOOOO**_  
><em>

"Step out of line please."

At the Earth King's palace, one of the guards was refusing to let Azula and Toph inside. Even after Toph displayed her Bei Fong family seal, the guard wouldn't let them in without an invitation. Azula wanted to simply bribe the man to let them inside, but there were too many people nearby to witness it. With no way around the guard, Azula and Toph backed off and walked away from the guards.

Fortunately Azula spotted a city official walking towards the entrance. With Toph at her side she walked up to the middle-aged man. "Excuse me, my blind cousin lost our invitations. Could you help us?" she asked.

"I am honored" the man said. "Please come with me." He led them into the entrance, the guard allowing them to enter with the official. Once inside they got a view of the party. "It's beautiful, isn't it? By the way, I'm Long Feng. I'm a cultural minister to the king."

"I'm Li Mei" Azula made up. "And this is Tanya."

"Now where is your family?" Long Feng asked. "I'd love to meet them."

"I'm sure we can find them on our own" Azula said. She and Toph tried to walk away from Long Feng, but somehow he got in their path again.

"Don't worry" Long Fend said. "As your escort it would be dishonorable to abandon you ladies without finding your families first. We'll keep looking."

Azula tried to stall the search for their 'parents' for as long as possible. Long Feng wouldn't leave them alone long enough to let Aang and Sokka inside. After a half hour of endless stalling Toph felt Aang and Sokka inside the palace posing as servants. Wanting to mess with them a little, Toph slowly got behind Aang and Sokka.

"Another crab puff please" Toph demanded.

"You found us" Aang said.

"I'd know your footsteps anywhere Twinkletoes" Toph said.

"Thanks for letting us in" Sokka said sarcastically.

"The guy that got us in wouldn't leave us alone" Azula said.

"What guy?" Sokka asked. Looking around Azula saw that Long Feng was gone. Instead she saw Joo Dee approach, seemingly terrified.

"What are you doing here?" Joo Dee asked. "You have to leave immediately or we'll all be in terrible trouble."

"Not until we see the king" Sokka demanded.

"You don't understand, you must go" Joo Dee said. She tried to push Sokka towards the door, but Aang was in the way. Aang spilled a jug of tea on a random woman. Trying to clean up the mess, Aang used an airblast to dry off the woman, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

Azula watched Aang distract everyone present, taking advantage of it to search for the Earth King. However before she could make any progress several Dai Li agents entered the room. The agents launched their rock gloves which grabbed Azula's face and pulled her away. She was dragged away and into a library with Sokka and Toph. Azula noticed that the fireplace was using crystals to turn the fire a green color, and couldn't help but wonder if it was possible for a firebender to replicate the green flames.

Within minutes they were joined by Long Feng leading Aang into the library. Long Feng took a seat in front of the fireplace and dismissed the Dai Li agents. When they were alone Sokka was the first to speak for the group.

"Why won't you let us talk to the king?" Sokka asked. "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation."

_Say it Say it Say it _Azula thought. No one in the group had bothered explaining their information to anyone yet, and asking for it would blow her cover. Unfortunately Long Feng had no interest in the information.

"The Earth King has no time to get involved with the political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities" Long Feng stated.

"This could be the most important information he's ever heard" Aang said.

"What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the _cultural _heritage of Ba Sing Se" Long Feng said. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's _my _job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military."

"In that case we'll just talk to you instead" Azula said.

"We found out about a…" Sokka said.

"Enough!" Long Feng interrupted. "I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan. It's the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls."

"Then point us to the nearest general on the walls and we'll be on our way" Azula said.

"No" Long Feng said. "Diverting resources away from Ba Sing Se on the whims of children would ruin our way of life. Our traditions would disappear, the last utopia on Earth would be destroyed."

"You can't pass up an opportunity we're presenting" Sokka argued.

"Until now you've been treated as our honored guests. But from now on you will be watched by Dai Li agents. Mention the war or your plan to anyone and you will be expelled from the city" Long Feng threatened. "I understand you've been looking for your bison. It would be a shame if you were unable to complete your quest."

_A/N: Long Feng carried the Idiot Ball in canon, and so he carries it here. He _should_ just relay them to the Council of Five for the eclipse plan, but if I had him do that I'd be guilty of Character Derailment._


	4. Waiting and Water

Chapter 4: Waiting and Water

In the middle of the woods, Katara faced a dilemma. What should she do with the Kyoshi Warriors? They were currently tied up and stripped of their weapons and equipment, leaving them with only enough clothing to maintain their modesty. They were completely helpless and at Katara's mercy.

On a personal level, Katara wanted to let them go. Their leader, Suki, had been a friend of hers before getting stuck in Azula's body. She didn't want to kill them or ship them off to some Fire Nation prison. However with Mai and Ty Lee around, Katara couldn't just free them without being asked questions she couldn't answer. She still didn't have a full grasp of Azula's firebending and she would be no match for either girl if she was exposed.

"So Azula, what should we do with them?" Ty Lee asked.

_Great… no pressure or anything… _Katara thought. "I think we have an opportunity here" she said. "Practice applying their makeup."

"Why would you want her to do that?" Mai asked. "Those colors are in horrible taste."

"_Those colors_ are the ticket into Ba Sing Se" Katara said. "We can use those uniforms to get past the wall." _And once we're in Sokka will want to see Suki and I can explain what's going on. _she thought.

"Hey yea, that's a great plan Azula" Ty Lee said. "I'll get started with those girls."

"You mean I have to wear _that_" Mai complained while looking at one of the seized uniforms. "It's so hideous."

"Lighten up" Katara said. "You won't have to wear it forever."

"Fine…" Mai said.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to have some time alone with their leader" Katara said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In Ba Sing Se Azula stood in the backyard of the Avatar's house. In front of her was a large bucket of water sitting on the ground, its surface reflecting Azula's face. She had finally managed to obtain some alone time without being expected to do anything for the Avatar. Her new 'friends' were busy searching the city for the sky bison and Azula volunteered to stay at the house in case anyone arrived to report a sighting.

_Okay, waterbending. How difficult could it be? _Azula wondered. Sure it was the opposite of fire, but this body had been a master of it. It just had a different mind at the controls and Azula reasoned that she would be able to figure it out. _If the Avatar can master a second element in months getting the hang of one shouldn't be too hard._

To begin, Azula tried using the movements for a basic fireblast, punching the air. The water in the bucket rippled, but didn't even spill over the side. She repeated the move several times in quick succession, and the water splashed around in the bucket but not leaving it. Then she tried punching the air with both arms, and suddenly the water exploded, releasing steam and showering the ground.

"Stupid water, Move!" she yelled and kicked the air, trying to use another firebending move. For a moment the spilled water flowed across the ground, before sharp pain shot through Azula's left leg. She dropped to the ground, realizing that she had sprained her leg. The pain lessened within minutes, but enough remained to make using the leg difficult.

Trying to tolerate the pain, Azula limped towards the house. Next to the wall were several more buckets of water, meant for when Azula was ready to experiment with larger amounts of water. Azula lifted up her left leg and submerged it in one of the buckets, feeling relief as the cool water dulled the pain in her leg. To her surprise the pain seemed to be vanishing, which wasn't supposed to happen immediately.

Looking into the barrel, Azula saw that the water around her leg had a faint glow. Seconds later the glow vanished and the pain in her leg was gone. She took it out of the water and flexed the muscles, finding her leg good as new. _Huh? That's convenient _Azula thought. She had heard the stories of the Healers from the Northern Water Tribe, but had believed they were exaggerations used for propaganda.

"This could be useful" Azula muttered. Even a single healer on the battlefield could turn the tide of a fight, bringing the wounded back to fighting condition and sending them back into battle. Suddenly her body became a lot more valuable to Azula, now that she knew about its healing ability.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Inside a tent in the woods, Suki was chained to the ground. On her knees she looked for anything that could be used to escape, despite having very little room to move. She had been kept separate from the other Kyoshi Warriors, being the leader. Suki was expecting to be interrogated any minute now by one of the three girls that had beaten her.

What Suki wasn't expecting was her captor to enter the tent with a hot meal for her. It was a simple bowl of stew, which Katara had prepared herself. Katara freed one of Suki's hands to let her feed herself. It was Katara's way of trying to apologize for dragging Suki into her mess, but trying to maintain her cover.

When Suki finished, she had to ask "Why are you being nice now?"

"You remind me of a friend" Katara answered.

"Yea right, as if someone like me would be friends with a firebender" Suki said.

_You're really driving in the knife… _Katara thought. She replaced the chain that bound Suki's arm, but left it slightly loose. Then she walked out of the tent and left Suki alone.

Suki wasn't sure what to think about Katara. She had appeared to be just another firebender, but had a calm spirit like the water. It was self-contradicting, but she had no way of knowing what was going on. The only explanation Suki could come up was a split personality, which seemed ridiculous. For now she could only wait for another visit from her captors.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After spraining her legs twice and having to heal them, Azula determined that waterbenders don't use kicking motions very often. Punching motions weren't very effective either, tending to either do nothing or making the water explode into steam. She needed a new approach to bending, something that was different than what she had learned as a firebender.

_Of Course! _Azula thought, figuring out a possible solution. _Its water, so maybe I need to move like water._ Facing a new bucket of water she slowly lifted her arms up, and the water rose into the air. Then she moved her arms to the left, and the water flew to the right. _Now you're just mocking me…_

Azula was about to try again when she noticed a shadow quickly pass by. Looking up she saw Aang with his glider come down for a landing. She stopped her practice, since it would give her away to the Avatar. When Aang landed Azula noticed that he was smiling, despite no sky bison in sight. "Did something exciting happen?" Azula asked.

"Yes actually" Aang said. "I just helped build a new zoo outside the inner wall. We should go there sometime and visit the animals."

_We? _Azula thought. "Where are the others?" she asked.

"Well we split up this morning… so I don't know where they are" Aang admitted.

"So what are you going to do now?" Azula asked.

"On my way back I saw a printer's shop" Aang said. "I think I'll head back there and ask him to make some 'missing bison' posters. Do you want to come?"

"Not really" Azula said. "I think I'll stay here and wait for the others."

Aang's smile wavered, then he got back on his glider and flew away. Azula had been oblivious to Aang's attempt to hang out with her. All she cared about was that she could resume waterbending without being seen.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After leaving the tent that contained Suki, Katara walked towards a small campfire to eat her own lunch. She could see Ty Lee practicing with the Kyoshi makeup, already getting good at making it look correct. While Katara started eating she spotted a messenger hawk arrive, and saw Mai take the message.

"The army will be here in the afternoon to take the prisoners" Mai informed everyone. "The leader is going to the Boiling Rock."

"Hey, doesn't your uncle work there?" Ty Lee asked. She cartwheeled over to the campfire, her face already having the Kyoshi makeup on.

"He's the warden" Mai corrected.

"Do you keep in touch with him?" Katara asked between bites.

"Occasionally" Mai answered. "But I haven't seen him since my last birthday."

"Speaking of birthdays, isn't yours coming up Azula?" Ty Lee asked.

Katara had been chewing on some meat when she heard the question, and nearly choked on it. _Aw HELL! How am I supposed to know That! _she thought while trying to maintain her composure.

While Katara tried to think of a way to dodge the question Mai spoke first. "You'll be fifteen this summer, right?"

_Sure, let's go with that_ Katara thought. "You're right" she said. Before she could say anything else a stray thought stopped her. _Wait a minute, she's only fourteen? _Katara glanced down at her figure. _Fourteen year olds should not have this many curves._

"We should throw a party for your birthday" Ty Lee said. "Maybe have it on Ember Island, invite the local boys for some fun, have a great time just hanging out."

For a moment Katara pictured the idea of just 'hanging out' with Ty Lee and Mai. The image was simultaneously ridiculous and funny, since they didn't seem like they could fit in a normal setting. "I suppose that would be fun" she said.

**OOOOOOOOO**

In the afternoon, Azula had figured out basic waterbending moves. She could move the water around as a large mass, and that was about it. Complex moves like the water whip were starting to come to her, but would fall apart half the time. Azula reasoned that for someone that had absolutely no waterbending training, she was doing very well. Or that her body remembered moves that her mind didn't.

While taking a break inside the house, the main door was thrown open. Azula saw Toph walk inside, seemingly bored. "Please tell me something's going to happen soon" Toph asked.

"Not that I know of" Azula said. "But maybe we could make something happen?"

That brought a smile to Toph's face. "What do you have in mind Sugarqueen?"

"Well I heard there's a day spa nearby" Azula said.

"That's your idea?" Toph asked.

"We're here, you the closest thing to royalty we have, and we deserve to be treated as such" Azula said.

"Do we have to?" Toph asked.

In practically no time at all, Azula and Toph arrived at the Fancy Lady Day Spa. Inside the spa Azula let the servants attend to her nails and feet. While Azula enjoyed the treatment Toph was struggling against the servants trying to rub the dirt off her feet.

_Agni I've missed this… _Azula thought. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted when Toph earthbended one of the servants through a wall. When Azula looked at the rubble she laughed. _These people wouldn't last five minutes in a Fire Nation spa._

Azula and Toph spent the next hour relaxing, taking mud baths and using a sauna. Then they allowed the servants to apply high quality makeup, which was almost enough to let Azula forget that she was still in a peasant's body. When both girls felt fully pampered they left the spa and headed back for the house.

"Well that wasn't so bad" Toph said. "I'm not usually into that stuff but I actually feel… _girly_."

"And you don't look half bad" Azula said.

On the way back to the house they crossed a bridge, walking past three girls going the other way. One of them with an umbrella made the mistake of trying to make fun of Toph. "Great makeup… for a clown" she said.

The three girls laughed at Toph's expense. "They shouldn't make fun of you" Azula said.

Before Toph could say anything, one of the other girls started talking. "I think she looks cute, like that time we put a sweater on your pet poodle-monkey."

To Azula's surprise Toph started laughing with the other girls. "That's actually pretty funny" Toph said. "Just like this" she said and earthbended the stone bridge, making a circle of it beneath the girls collapse and drop them into the water.

Azula laughed and walked up to the hole in the bridge, then looked down on the girls in the water. She swung her arms to the side to bend the water, and it froze into ice. _Huh? I was trying to wash them downstream... _She laughed again anyway, finding the look on the girls' faces priceless.

Toph laughed too. "That was hilarious Katara" she said.

"Teaches them to tease their betters" Azula said.

"Yes, it does" Toph said. "You know, I had a good time with you, Icequeen."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Late in the afternoon, a squad of Fire Nation troops arrived at Katara's campsite to take the prisoners away. One by one the Kyoshi Warriors were loaded into cages on carts, individually chained to restrict their ability to move. While the Warriors were being loaded Katara entered the tent with Suki in it, since she was going to be the last person taken away.

"One more meal before you leave?" Katara asked, holding a small bowl of soup in her hands.

"You're new at holding prisoners, aren't you?" Suki asked. "You're not supposed to be this nice to your captives."

Katara removed the chains binding Suki's hands, allowing her to drink the soup. "Well I like to be the exception to the rule" Katara said.

"I can see that" Suki said, then drank the whole bowl in one long drink. "I suppose this will be my last decent meal for a while?"

"Maybe" Katara said. She grabbed Suki's hands and rebound them in chains. To Suki's surprise she felt Katara slip small piece of metal into them. Then Katara replaced the chains around her arms, but leaving them just loose enough for Suki's hands to reach the locks. Katara leaned closer to Suki and whispered "don't say anything."

Suki nodded, and then Katara unlocked the chain that bound Suki to the floor. She took Suki out of the tent and led her to a cage for her to be alone in. Katara pushed Suki into it and closed the door herself, not letting any of the nearby soldiers interrupt her. When the cage was locked Katara let it be taken away by the army.

Once they were gone, Katara smiled to herself. _Suki, you better know how to use that lockpick…_


	5. Lakes and Lies

_AN: This one is Azula-heavy instead of relatively split evenly like the previous chapters. This is due to the fact that the show never explored what happened between the fight with Suki to showing up in Ba Sing Se.  
><em>

Chapter 5: Lakes and Lies

At the Avatar's house in Ba Sing Se, Azula was sitting back against the wall watching Sokka draw pictures of Appa. While she had never gotten a good look at the sky bison up close, even she could tell he was doing a horrible job. Toph was lying on the floor, just as bored as Azula. Then Aang came through the front door, carrying a bag full of posters.

"I'm back from the printer" Aang said. He held up one of the posters, which had a near perfect rendition of Appa.

"Hey, I thought designing the Lost-Appa poster was my job" Sokka complained. "I've been working all day on my Appa." Then he held up one of his drawings, which was simply crude in comparison to the professional version.

"Sokka, the arrow goes on Appa's head" Aang said.

"Alright, so I haven't seen him in a while" Sokka admitted.

"It looks just like him to me" Toph said.

"Thank you, I worked really… Why do you feel the need to do that?" Sokka said.

"Come on, let's get busy" Aang said.

Immediately they left the house in the upper ring and started putting up posters in the middle ring. When Sokka suggested they split up to cover more ground, but also suggested that Toph stick with him. Naturally Toph was annoyed and tried to prove that she could work on her own. When she ended up applying a poster backwards, she admitted that Sokka had a point.

Azula walked down a separate street on her own, taking her time putting up posters. _Why am I bothering with this grunt work? _Azula wondered. _I should be coming up with a plan to kill those fools all at once, not helping them find their lost pet…_

"Katara" a new voice said. Azula turned around and saw a boy with brown hair in a strange outfit standing there. She noticed that he was armed with hook-swords.

_Who is this boy? _Azula wondered. "What do you want?"

"I think I can help you" the boy said.

"Do I look like I need help?" Azula asked.

"Well I found this" the boy said and held up a small leaflet, one of which that Aang had scattered over the city. "I think I can help you find Appa."

"Really, and what do you have to prove it?" Azula said.

"I think I know where you can find him" the boy said. "Please let me help you."

"Fine, the others are nearby" Azula said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile, Katara, Ty Lee and Mai walked towards the hidden port in Full Moon Bay. They were dressed as Kyoshi Warriors, complete with the makeup. Katara found the uniform bulky, but was able to tolerate it. The three girls were near the hidden entrance, which Katara knew where it was, having been there before.

There was a pair of earthbenders guarding the entrance. One of them spotted the girls coming, and opened the door for them. As far as the earthbender was concerned all of the Kyoshi Warriors looked the same, and didn't bother checking their identities.

"This plan is working great" Ty Lee said.

"Shut up!" Mai whispered. "Don't jinx it!"

"Oh, sorry" Ty Lee said. "How did you know about this place anyway Azula?"

"A little birdie told me" Katara said.

Within minutes they reached the main area for the refugees. Several ferries were docked and waiting for passengers to Ba Sing Se. Looking around Katara found the same ugly woman demanding passports from the first time she was here. Katara walked up to the woman's station.

"Three for Ba Sing Se" Katara said.

"Aren't you supposed to be providing security here?" the woman asked.

"Well yes, but there are other matters that need my attention" Katara said. "The rest of the Warriors will be back shortly for your security."

"I shouldn't let you onto the ferries without passports" the woman said. "But your order has helped a lot here… so I'll let this one time pass."

"Thank you" Katara said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Entirely by accident, the street Sokka and Toph decided to cover intersected with Aang's choice. They had bumped into each other just in time for Azula to meet them with the stranger behind her. Azula wasn't sure how to introduce him, since he appeared to already know 'Katara' but Azula didn't know his name.

"Hey, uh, look who I found" Azula said. She saw Aang and Sokka stare at the boy for a moment, before rushing in between him and Azula.

"Jet!" Sokka yelled. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to help find Appa" Jet said, showing Sokka the leaflet he still had.

"How can we trust you after what you did!" Sokka yelled.

"Sokka, I've changed" Jet said. "I was a troubled person and I let my anger get out of control. But I don't even have the gang now. I've put all that behind me."

"I'm not buying it" Sokka said.

"Katara's forgiven me, she's not angry at all" Jet said.

"I never said that" Azula said. "I just don't hold a grudge on insignificant nobodies."

"Close enough" Aang said. "So Jet, you think you can help?"

"How do we know Jet isn't lying?" Sokka questioned.

"He's not lying" Toph said.

"And you can tell that because…" Azula said.

"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat, when people lie there's a physical reaction" Toph explained. "He's telling the truth."

_Wait a minute, if she can do that how did she not notice me? _Azula wondered. "That can't be foolproof, what if you met a really good liar?"

"Please… no one lies well enough to fool me" Toph bragged.

"I am a four hundred foot tall purple platypus-bear with pink horns and silver wings" Azula said.

Everyone stared at Azula, wondering if she had just gone crazy. Even Toph turned to face Azula, a blank expression on her face. For a moment Azula wondered if she had just given herself away, but she had to test the limits of Toph's ability to detect lies. Her little charade depended on it.

"Okay, you're good I admit it" Toph said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Katara leaned over the railing of a ferry, trying to relax. The ferry was on its way to the port in Ba Sing Se, and keeping its distance from the Serpent's Pass and the titular serpent. It felt strange trying to act like Azula acting like Suki.

_Maybe the spirits like messing with me _Katara wondered. Then she saw Mai and Ty Lee walk up to her, carrying food from the ship's galley.

"I'd hold your nose while eating this" Mai suggested. "This gruel is horrible."

Katara took a bowl from Ty Lee, and noticed that the contents looked only half cooked. "I'm not hungry" she said and threw it overboard.

"Well once we get to Ba Sing Se we can make something better" Ty Lee said.

"Anything would be better than this slop" Mai said.

"Hey, what's that on the water?" Ty Lee asked, pointing to the distance.

Katara looked out to where Ty Lee was pointing, and spotted the vague outline of a boat. It sailed across the water in a path that would take it past the ferry. As it came closer Katara could make out the blue sails and wooden hull. In minutes the boat got close enough for Katara to see the dark skinned people manning it, including one with brown hair and a short beard.

_Dad? _Katara thought, wondering if it really was him. The boat's course was taking it towards Chameleon Bay, a key position in the defense of Ba Sing Se. While Katara watched the ship move it changed course, heading towards the ferry. It moved into position alongside the ferry, and the men on the boat threw a rope latter up to the ferry.

Several Water Tribe men climbed up the rope latter, boarding the ferry. Some of them brought fresh fruits and blankets for the refugees, trying to help the people. Katara watched her father board the ship as well, and she couldn't help but walk towards him.

"Hakoda of the Water Tribe?" Katara asked.

"Yes that's me" Hakoda said. "You must be one of those Kyoshi Warriors that Bato's told me about. He said that you're friends of my daughter Katara."

"You could say that" Katara said. For a moment Katara seriously considered letting her charade fall apart, just to be with her dad again.

"You're going to Ba Sing Se, correct?" Hakoda asked. "I've heard that the Avatar is in the city, and I know that Katara is with him. If you see them, please tell Katara that her father is very proud of her."

A single tear ran down Katara's face, leaving a line in her makeup. "I think she already knows."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Jet led Azula and the others to a warehouse in the lower ring. It could have been a possible hiding place for a sky bison, having far more than enough room to contain it. But aside from dirty hay and an old man using a broom, the warehouse was completely empty.

"This is the place I heard about" Jet said as they walked inside the warehouse.

"There's nothing here" Aang observed.

"This better not be some kind of trick" Azula said.

"I work nearby" Jet said. "Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had. I figured it must be Appa."

"He was here" Toph shouted, holding up a piece of white fur. She gave it to Aang, who held it as though it could bring back his lifelong friend.

"We missed him" Aang said.

The old man with the broom decided to pitch in with the conversation. "They took that big thing yesterday, shipped him out to some island" he said. "About time, I've been cleaning up fur and various leaving all day."

"What island? Where's Appa?" Aang asked.

"Foreman said some rich royal type on Whale Tail Island bought him up, guess for a zoo or such" the old man said. "Though could be the meat would be good."

Azula was immediately suspicious. _The only thing on Whale Tail Island is a base for the Southern Raiders _she thought to herself.

"We've gotta get to Whale Tail Island" Aang said. Then he asked "Where's Whale Tail Island?"

Sokka looked at a map. "Far, very far" he said. He set the map down on the floor for everyone to see, and pointed out the location. "It's near the South Pole, almost all the way back home."

"Don't you think it's just a _little_ bit suspicious that our only lead takes us weeks out of our way?" Azula asked.

"I don't care" Aang said. "We have a chance to find Appa, we have to try."

"Let's get moving" Sokka said.

"I'll come with you" Jet offered.

"Did someone ask you to come along?" Azula asked.

"So you still don't trust me?" Jet asked.

"I don't have a reason to" Azula said.

"Was this guy your boyfriend?" Toph asked.

"Of course not" Azula said.

"Okay, I believe you" Toph said.

Immediately Azula and the others left the warehouse and started walking down the streets of Ba Sing Se, heading towards the inner wall. Along the way Azula wondered what her next move would be, now that they were apparently going to leave the city.

"We can take the train to the outer wall, but then we'll have to walk" Sokka said.

"Don't worry, on the way back we'll be flying" Aang said

"We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se" Toph said. "Worst! City! Ever!"

From behind a side alley, a boy and a girl saw them pass by. "Jet!" the girl shouted.

_More people I'm supposed to know but don't? _Azula wondered. She watched the new girl run up to Jet and hug him.

"We were so worried" the girl said. "How did you get away from the Dai Li?"

"The Dai Li?" Azula questioned.

"I don't know what she's talking about" Jet said.

"He got arrested by the Dai Li a few weeks ago" the girl said. "We saw them drag him away."

"Why would I be arrested?" Jet asked. "I've been living peacefully in the city."

"This doesn't make any sense" Toph said. "They're both telling the truth."

"Simple, they both think they're telling the truth" Azula said.

"Jet's been brainwashed" Sokka said.

"That's crazy" Jet shouted.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After the Water Tribe men returned to their boat they set sail for Chameleon Bay. Katara watched them leave, praying for a safe journey. Once the boat was out of sight Katara walked below deck, shutting herself in a small room. She wanted to be alone, away from the other girls. While trying to shut everything out, Katara heard someone knocking on the door.

"Can I come in?" Ty Lee asked from the other side of the door.

"Go away" Katara said.

"Is something wrong?" Ty Lee asked. "It might help to talk about it."

"Fine" Katara said.

Ty Lee opened the door and walked inside, closing the door behind her. She sat down next to Katara, wondering what had upset her. "Was it that man from earlier?" she asked.

_I see Dad for the first time in two years, and he doesn't recognize me _Katara thought. "It's complicated" she said.

"You can tell me about it" Ty Lee said.

"I miss my dad" Katara admitted.

"The Fire Lord…" Ty Lee muttered. "It must be tough with him as your dad."

Katara couldn't help but picture Hakoda in Fire Nation colors, then shuddered at the image. _That'll probably be in my next nightmare… _she thought. "He's been… kind of distant."

"I suppose he has responsibilities to deal with" Ty Lee said.

"Ty Lee, what if you met your dad and he didn't know it was you?" Katara asked.

"That's actually why I ran away from home" Ty Lee admitted. "My sisters and I were all the same to my dad, just part of a matched set."

_A circus freak is part of a set? _Katara thought. "I don't believe that" Katara said. "You're the most unique person I know."

Ty Lee smiled. "Thanks Azula, that means a lot to me" she said. "I worked really hard to become who I am, and when people call me a circus freak, I take it as a complement."

"Well then 'circus freak' I'm feeling a lot better" Katara said. "Hey, do you think we can get Mai to smile for once?"

"That sounds like a challenge" Ty Lee said, a wide smile on her face. "And it sounds like a lot of fun."

_She's not so bad…_ Katara thought as she walked out of the room with Ty Lee. _How in the world did such a kind girl end up working for Azula?_

**OOO****OOOOOOO**_  
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After spending five minutes alone with and interrogating Jet, Azula forced him to remember where the Dai Li took him after being arrested for assaulting tea makers. Apparently the Dai Li had a hidden base between the inner and outer walls, at Lake Laogai. Azula couldn't help but wonder how Jet had been brainwashed, since she could think of countless ways to abuse it.

After breaking free of the brainwashing, Jet wanted to get back at the man responsible, Long Feng. He led the way to Lake Laogai, reintroducing Smellerbee and Longshot along the way. The seven kids and teens reached the lake, but there was no entrance in sight.

"So where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked.

"Under the water I think" Jet said.

"There's a tunnel right over there near the shore" Toph said, feeling the vibrations coming from it. She walked up to it and earthbended a small path to a hidden hatch. She opened the hatch, revealing a long tunnel straight down with a ladder on it.

Once everyone made it down, they started moving through the base as quietly as they could. "It's all starting to come back to me" Jet said, remembering the base from his last visit.

Along the way they passed by a room filled with dozens of women, all chanting "I am Joo Dee, welcome to Ba Sing Se." Azula peeked inside, wondering what was going on. "We are so lucky to have our walls to create order." Azula found the effect rather creepy, as an unnatural way to control others. Using brainwashing for herself quickly became an idea she didn't want to use.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead" Jet said. He stopped at a door halfway through a corridor. "I think it's through here" he said. He opened the door, revealing a large empty cavern.

Just after everyone stepped inside the cavern the door slammed shut and was sealed with earthbending. Several chains hang from the room, each with Dai Li agents clinging to them. At the other end of the cavern were Long Feng and more agents.

"Well that's something different" Sokka observed, looking up.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state" Long Feng said. To his men he said "Take them into custody."

Several agents fell from the ceiling to attack. They launched their rock gloves, which Toph was able to destroy with earthbending. Toph defeated most of the agents by herself, taking them out with columns of earth. While Toph fought the agents, Long Feng stepped through a door in the cavern, which Aang and Jet chased him through it.

Azula spotted a small creek running along the edge of the cavern. She pulled water from it and threw it at the Dai Li. When the water made contact she froze it into ice, trapping the agents. One by one she froze the agents in place, quickly ending the fight while Toph blocked their earthbending.

"Are there anymore of them?" Azula asked.

"I think that's it Icequeen" Toph said.

"What happened to Sugarqueen?" Sokka asked.

"That can wait" Azula said. "Where did Long Feng go?"

Everyone ran in the direction that Aang and Jet had chased Long Feng, with Toph leading the way to remove earthbended obstacles. When they arrived in a side room they found Aang standing over Jet, who was lying on the floor.

Everyone looked at Azula, as though expecting her to do something. It took a second, but then she remembered that she could heal with waterbending. She kneeled at Jet's side and attempted to heal him, but that wasn't enough to save Jet.

"Well this isn't good" Azula said.

"You guys go and find Appa" Smellerbee said. "We'll take care of Jet."

"Okay" Azula said.

"Just go" Longshot said. "We'll take care of him, he's our leader."

"Don't worry" Jet said. "I'll be fine."

Everyone but Smellerbee and Longshot walked away from Jet. "He's lying" Toph whispered.

Moving through the base, Azula noticed that the Dai Li had evacuated it. They met no resistance and found one room big enough to hold Appa. But when they were inside they noticed that only chains remained inside.

"Appa's gone" Aang said. "Long Feng beat us here."

"If we keep moving we may be able to catch up with them" Sokka suggested.

Everyone quickly ran for one of the exits, reaching it within minutes. Toph opened the exit with earthbending and everyone rushed out. They came out on a strip of land between the lake's shore and a cliff side, forcing them to pick one of two directions to move it. As they ran some Dai Li agents showed up behind them and started a chase.

"Think we can outrun them?" Sokka asked.

"I don't think it's going to matter" Aang said.

Ahead of them were Long Feng and more Dai Li. The agents earthbended a wall behind them, and the agents behind the children created another wall, boxing them inside. Everyone prepared for another fight, but to their surprise they heard a distant roar from above.

"Look up in the sky!" Azula yelled.

"Is it a bird?" Toph asked.

"Maybe a glider?" Sokka said.

"No, it's APPA!" Aang yelled.

The large sky bison dropped down from above, slamming into both walls and demolishing them. It came back around and landed right in front of Long Feng. When Long Feng tried to attack Appa bit his leg, and then threw him towards the lake, skipping across the surface. Then Appa spit out Long Feng's shoe.

Aang ran up to Appa and jumped onto his head. "I've missed you buddy."

_AN: Come on, the scene where Appa showed up was BEGGING for someone to use the classic Superman line. And since I've written for Superman before, I just had to put it in there.  
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	6. Kings and Knights

_A/N: Just like the last chapter, I had to come up with events for Katara to experience from next to nothing. Similarly, I've thrown in an appropriate cameo from another character that she could have met along the way._

Chapter 6: Kings and Knights

On an island in the middle of Lake Laogai, Azula and the others recovered from their ordeal in the Dai Li base. Aang was constantly in contact with Appa, glad to finally have him back. Azula was amused by the boy and his bison. She just sat back and watched, wishing she had a bag of fire flakes. Then she noticed Sokka walking up to her and Toph.

"Look, we escaped from the Dai Li, we got Appa back, I'm telling you we should go to the Earth King no and tell him our plan" Sokka said. "We're on a roll."

"Only because someone else freed Appa before we could get to him" Azula said. "That isn't much of a roll."

"We can build on it" Sokka said. "If we want to invade the Fire Nation when the eclipse happens we need the Earth King's support."

_An ECLIPSE! _Azula almost shouted, barely keeping her surprise contained. _How in the world did they learn about that?_ she wondered. Only the Fire Sages knew how to predict when eclipses would happen, and they only shared that information with the royal family. How commoners could figure it out was beyond Azula.

"What makes you think we'll even get it" Toph argued. "I don't know if you've noticed but things don't go that smoothly for our little gang."

"I know, but I've got a good feeling about this" Sokka said. "This time will be different."

"Sokka, Long Feng has complete control over the city, the Earth King has no real power" Azula said. "We should just cut our losses and leave while we still can."

"I'm with icy here" Toph said. "I've seen enough of Ba Sing Se, and I can't even see."

Aang jumped in to contribute to the debate. "But now that we have Appa back there's nothing stopping us from telling the Earth King the truth, about the conspiracy and the war."

"See? Aang's with me" Sokka said. "It's the whole reason we came here in the first place. We have to try."

"This isn't going to end well" Azula said.

"I don't trust the new positive Sokka" Toph said. "Long Feng brainwashed you, didn't he!" she shouted.

Glancing to the side, Aang spotted several boats on the water. Sokka noticed Aang's gaze, and saw the boats as well. "That's probably the Dai Li searching for us" Sokka said.

"Time to fly" Azula said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

On the other side of Ba Sing Se, a ferry docked in a port just outside the outer wall. The passengers all walked off the ferry and into the city, including Katara and the other two girls. Inside the outer wall was a check-in station for the refugees, where they would be cleared for entrance into Ba Sing Se. Once Katara was inside she spotted several lines of refugees, waiting to start new lives in the big city.

Like all the refugees, Katara stepped into one of the lines, with Ty Lee and Mai behind her. The line moved slowly, but they eventually reached the official that processed their line. The official was an old woman with a large mole on her forehead.

"Passports" the old woman requested.

"Here" Katara said, handing over a small piece of thick paper. It wasn't a real passport, but had the relevant information on it to allow passage.

The official read the paper. "The Warriors of Kyoshi, Suki, Lee, and Mei" she said. Stamping the seal of approval on the paper, she said "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

"Could you direct us to the city guards?" Katara asked.

"Next room and wait for the next Captain" the official said. "Now move along."

In the next room was a train station, filled with refugees waiting for the next train to arrive. Katara and the others sat down next to a stone pillar. They overheard the guards talking about the Captain coming with the next train, so they waited for it to arrive. In the meantime, there was a skinny merchant pushing a cart with tea in it.

"Get your hot tea here" the merchant advertised. "Finest tea in Ba Sing Se."

Katara raised her hand to get the merchant's attention. "Ginseng please" she asked.

The merchant poured a cup of tea for Katara, and she paid for it with a copper piece. After the merchant walked away Katara tried to drink the tea, and nearly gagged on it.

"Is something wrong with the tea?" Ty Lee asked.

"Since when is iced tea popular?" Katara complained.

"Just heat it up" Mai suggested.

"Here?" Katara asked.

Mai stood up and threw a small knife at the tea merchant's cart, hitting the cart's wheel and breaking it. The whole thing fell over and spilled the contents onto the floor, catching the attention of all the refugees. Katara was expecting the merchant to scream 'my tea', but was disappointed when it didn't come.

"No one should notice someone heating their tea for a while" Mai said as she sat down.

"Alright" Katara said. She looked at the teacup in her hand, wondering how to heat it up with firebending. Focusing on the tea, Katara felt her hand heat up, and the heat flowed into the teacup. In seconds the tea started to steam, and Katara took a sip. "Hmm, a little heat goes a long way" she muttered.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"Can we please buy a new saddle?" Toph yelled. "Riding bareback is terrifying!"

Being her first time flying, Azula completely agreed with Toph. Having to trust her life to a creature she barely knew anything about was not something she was used to. Half the time Azula was expecting the fur to simply fall out and send her plummeting to the ground. A saddle sounded like a very good idea for flying.

After bypassing the city's walls, Appa flew towards the palace in the center. The guards on the ground spotted the bison coming, and to defend the palace they earthbended large boulders into fast projectiles. Appa was able to dodge most of them while Aang shattered others with earthbending. When the bison nearly reached the ground Aang jumped off, and when he landed on the ground he earthbended a large wave of stone to disable a platoon of guards.

Azula jumped off Appa the moment he landed, glad to be back on the ground. With the others she ran for the steps that lead to the main palace. On both sides of the pathway more guards showed up, earthbending bricks out of the ground to throw at them. Azula improvised a water whip and took out the guards as quickly as possible while Aang and Toph blocked with earthbending.

_These guys are pathetic _Azula thought as she attacked the guards. Then she noticed Toph taking out guards in front of them by flipping the ground upside down. _For the love of Agni, if they didn't have that wall this city would have fallen fifty years ago._

Just in front of the palace steps was a bridged river. When Azula ran across the bridge she pulled as much water as she could from it and threw the water in a large wave, washing away more guards. The path to the steps was clear, but more guards were coming from the top. Toph earthbended the steps into a ramp, forcing the guards to slide down it. With help from Aang she lifted the ground up the ramp, quickly bringing every to the palace doors.

"Seriously, we're actually on your guy's side" Sokka apologized as guards slid past the moving earth.

_You could have fooled me _Azula thought.

When they reached the top more guards showed up from the sides. These ones were disabled when Aang and Toph created stone walls which they used as battering rams. Once they cleared the way everyone entered the palace.

"Toph, which way to the Earth King?" Sokka asked.

"How should I know?" Toph asked. "I'm still voting we leave Ba Sing Se."

"It's probably in the center of the palace" Azula suggested. "Look for something big, fancy, or otherwise screams royalty."

After looking for half a minute, Sokka found a pair of large fancy doors. Sokka tried to push them open, but it was clear they were intended to be opened with earthbending. Aang and Toph broke down the doors, and everyone saw the Earth King in his throne. At the King's side was Long Feng, and in front of them were several Dai Li.

"We need to talk to you" Aang demanded.

"They're here to overthrow you" Long Feng said.

"No, we're on your side" Sokka said. "We're here to help."

The Earth King stood up from his throne. "You invade my palace, lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you want to help?" he questioned.

"He does have a point" Toph said.

"I've your really on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down" the King demanded.

Azula didn't want to drop the water she had, but when Aang dropped his staff she realized she had to play along. While Sokka dropped his machete and Toph dropped her rock Azula let her water splash onto the floor.

"See? We're friends your Earthiness" Aand said.

Azula was about to slap her face at Aang's rude comment, when the Dai Li threw their rock gloves and bound everyone's hands.

"Detain the assailants" Long Feng ordered. "Make sure the Avatar and his friends never see daylight again."

"The Avatar?" the King questioned. "You're the Avatar?" he said while pointing at Sokka.

"No, him" Sokka said, referring to Aang.

"What does it matter your highness" Long Feng said. "They are enemies of the state."

"Perhaps you're right?" the King wondered. Then he noticed his bear walking up to Aang and lick his cheek. "Though Bosco seems to like him. I'll hear what he has to say."

"Well sir, there's a war going on right now" Aang said. "For the past one hundred years in fact. The Dai Li's kept it secret from you. It's a conspiracy to control the city, and to control you."

"A secret war?" the King said. "That's crazy."

_Just how ignorant can one man be? _Azula wondered.

"Long Feng didn't want us to tell you" Aang continued. "So he stole our sky bison to blackmail us. And blackmail is the least of his crimes, he brainwashed our friend."

"All lies" Long Feng said. "I've never even seen a sky bison. Frankly, I thought they were extinct."

The King sat down in his throne to think about what Aang said. "Your claim is difficult to believe, even from an Avatar" he said.

Long Feng stepped closer to the King to whisper in his ear. "These hooligans are part of an anarchist cell that my agents have been tracking for weeks" he whispered. "If you listen to them, you're playing right into your own destruction."

"I have to trust my advisor" the King said.

When the Dai Li started to close in on them, Azula wasn't willing to just give up. "You want proof of the war? Go to the outer wall and see it for yourself!" she yelled.

"Are you mad? No Earth King has ever been to the Outer Wall" the King said.

"There's a first time for everything" Azula said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Once the train arrived at the check-in station, Katara and the others boarded it. They were directed to a compartment reserved for the city guard. The compartment had a desk inside, with the Captain in ornate armor sitting behind it. Katara sat down in a chair in front of the desk, with Mai and Ty Lee sitting at her sides.

The Captain was a middle aged man, with short brown hair and grey beard. "So, the Kyoshi Warriors" he said. "And you want to offer your assistance to Ba Sing Se."

"Of course" Katara said. "If you don't mind, we'd like to offer our services directly to the Earth King."

"The Earth King is a very busy man" the Captain said. "Unless you know someone close to the King, I can't let you see him."

"What about the Avatar?" Katara said. "He'll vouch for us."

"Really?" the Captain said. "You know the Avatar?"

"Yes, and last time I checked he was going to Ba Sing Se" Katara said. "Just tell him Suki is here and he'll know it's us."

"Very well" the Captain said. "In the meantime you'll have to stay in the lower ring barracks."

Katara and the others were led out of the compartment, spending the rest of the trip alongside the refugees. The trip to the inner wall only took an hour, which Katara spent watching the landscape pass by. _I'm almost there Aang… _she thought.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Once again, Azula was riding on the back of the sky bison. Alongside her was the Earth King, who had been bribed into seeing the outer wall with a promise to fly on Appa. Unlike Azula, the Earth King screamed during the first five minutes of the flight, which she found extremely annoying.

"First time flying?" Toph asked.

"It's both thrilling, and terrifying" the King admitted

"Yea, I hate it too" Toph said.

The King turned to Aang. "I have to be honest with you" he said. "Part of me really hopes that what you're telling me about this war… isn't true."

"I wish it wasn't" Aang said.

Appa quickly reached the outer wall, right where the Fire Nation had attempted to break through it with the Drill. The Drill was still there, with a small earth wall raised around it. Azula had expected someone to start dismantling it by now, but to her surprise it had been left alone. Even as scrap metal the remains of the Drill would be valuable for recycling into war materials, and leaving it alone was extremely wasteful.

"What is that?" the King said when he saw the Drill.

"It's a giant drill made by the Fire Nation to break through your walls" Sokka explained.

When Appa landed on the wall everyone climbed off him. The King leaned over the edge of the wall, staring at the Drill. "I can't believe I ever knew" the King muttered.

As if on cue, Long Feng and two Dai Li arrived on the wall. "I can explain this, your majesty" Long Feng said. "This is nothing more than… a construction project."

_He's really bad at lying _Azula thought. "Excuse me, but since when does the Earth Kingdom build _anything _out of metal?" she questioned.

"Well it's imported of course" Long Feng said. "You know you can't trust domestic machinery." With this lie the Earth King stared at him. "Surely you don't believe these children instead of your most loyal attendant?"

The Earth King made his decision within moments. "Dai Li, arrest Long Feng" he said. "I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom."

For a moment it appeared that the Dai Li weren't going to follow the order. Then they used metal chains to bind Long Feng's hands, restraining him. They took him away to the prison beneath the palace, where he would wait until his trial.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

While waiting for approval to see the Earth King, Katara explored the lower ring. She noticed that the streets were filled with poor and questionable types, which would have been dangerous if she hadn't been armed with Suki's war fans. Sure she didn't know how to use them properly, but they scared off the people who might have considered mugging her.

Walking down a street she spotted a skinny man placing a 'Help Wanted' sign on a window. Looking at the little building she saw that it was a teashop. She walked inside the teashop, and found it mostly empty. There was only one customer inside, a teenage girl sitting at one of the tables. Katara walked up to the girl, wondering why see looked kind of depressed.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

"This place used to be the best teashop in the city" the girl said.

"What happened?" Katara asked. "It's like a ghost town in here."

"Some noble offered Lee and Mushi their own teashop in the upper ring" the girl said. "The guards don't let people from the lower ring in there, so I have to make do here."

"They were that good?" Katara asked. "I'm Suki, what's your name?"

"Jin" she said. "I've thought about applying for work here, since Lee showed me a few tricks with teamaking."

"Did you brew that cup?" Katara asked, pointing at the teacup in Jin's hands.

"Actually it's the last of Mushi's special blend" Jin admitted. "Here, try it" she said while handing Katara the cup.

"Okay" Katara said and took a sip. It was far better than the hot leaf juice she had earlier. "Now I have to meet this Mushi myself. What did he look like?"

"Well Mushi was an older man, with a beard and a large belly" Jin described. "Lee was cute, in the 'bad boy' sort of way. It must have been the scar over his eye."

_Scar over the eye… _Katara wondered. _It couldn't be…_ she thought. It sounded like Jin was describing Zuko, but that was ridiculous. There was no way Zuko would be serving tea in Ba Sing Se. "Well if I see Lee I'll tell him you sent me."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After arresting Long Feng, King Kuei returned to the palace. He gave Aang and his friends a formal audience to express his gratitude for revealing the deception to him. Kuei sat in his throne while Aang and the others stood in front of it.

"I want to thank you young heroes, for opening my eyes" Kuei said. "All this time what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools. And that makes me, the king fool. We're at war, with the Fire Nation."

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se" Sokka said. "Because we think you can help us end the war."

"We don't have much time" Aang said. "There's a comet coming this summer, its energy will give the firebenders unbelievable strength. They will be unstoppable."

_They know about Sozin's Comet too? _Azula wondered. _Who's been leaking this information?_

"But there is hope" Sokka said. "Before the comet comes we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the firebenders will be helpless."

"What are you suggesting?" Kuei asked.

"That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation" Sokka said. "The Day of Black Sun."

"I don't know" Kuei said. "That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable."

"You're already vulnerable" Sokka said. "The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can either sit back and wait for that to happen, or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting chance."

_Either way, you lose _Azula thought.

"Very well" Kuei said. "You have my support."

After a brief cheer from the kids, they were interrupted by General Howe's arrival. While the general bowed Kuei introduced him to everyone. "We searched Long Feng's office" Howe said. "I think we found something that will interest everybody."

Howe led everyone into the library, and one of the guards brought a chest to a table inside. Kuei sat at the desk while everyone else stood to the side. "There are secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se, including you kids" Howe said.

"Secret files?" Aang questioned.

Kuei opened the chest, finding several scrolls inside. He took one with Toph's name on it and handed it to her, who passed it to Azula. She opened the scroll and quickly read it before reading it aloud.

"It's a letter from Poppy Bei Fong, she's here in the city" Azula said. "She wants to see you."

"Long Feng intercepted our letters from home" Toph said. "That's just sad."

Next Kuei handed a scroll to Aang, which has been attached to Appa's horn when the Dai Li captured him. "It's from the Eastern Air Temple" Aang said.

"I presume there's something for me and Sokka as well?" Azula asked.

"I'm afraid not" Kuei said.

"But there is an intelligence report that might interest you" Howe said.

Azula took a scroll from Howe to read. "A small fleet of Water Tribe ships…"

"That could be Dad" Sokka interrupted.

"Guarding the mouth of Chameleon Bay" Azula continued. "Led by Hakoda."

"That is Dad!" Sokka shouted.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After her conversation with Jin, Katara walked back to the guard barracks in the lower ring. It resembled the lower ring apartments, but with an extra wall around it and filled with guards instead of civilians. Inside was an office for the Captain, which Katara entered with Mai and Ty Lee. The Captain was inside, waiting for them.

"Good, you're here" the Captain said.

"Can we see the King now?" Katara asked.

"Not quite" the Captain said. "But I did receive word that the Avatar has just received the support of the Earth King. I've been given permission to let you into the Upper Ring."

"What happens then?" Katara asked.

"I'm still waiting on word from the palace guard on whether or not you get to see the King" the Captain said. "They should be letting him know you're here any minute now."

"So what's the King like?" Katara asked.

"Sheltered" the Captain said. "He means well but doesn't have the experience to back up his intentions."

"Really? That sounds like an unsuitable person to have in power" Katara said.

"I agree" the Captain said. "I barely know you and I'd think you would do a better job."

"Don't be ridiculous" Katara brushed off with a laugh.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Between the news of Toph's mother in the city, Sokka's dad in Chameleon Bay, and a Guru waiting for Aang at the Eastern Air Temple, it was decided that the group would split up. Azula volunteered to stay with the Earth King to plan the invasion of the Fire Nation. Someone had to stay behind, and Sokka had been excited when Azula let him be the one to visit Hakoda.

Outside Aang and Sokka prepared for their trip on Appa. Toph and Azula helped them, before going their separate ways. Just before the boys were about to leave, King Kuei wanted to give his farewells to the Avatar.

"Katara, I need to tell you something" Aang asked.

"What is it?" Azula demanded.

"I've been wanting to say it for a long time" Aang said while blushing.

"Well out with it" Azula said.

"Katara, I…"

Then Sokka had the nerve to interrupt Aang with a manly arm around the shoulder. "Alright, who's ready to get going on our little men only man trip?" Sokka declared.

The look on Aang's face told Azula that what he wanted to say was supposed to be private, and that he wasn't going to bring it up again with Sokka so close. "Just get going you two" Azula said.

Before they could leave, Kuei arrived. "Aang and Sokka, I wish you a good journey" Kuei said. "Ba Sing Se owes you its thanks. We look forward to your safe return."

With the goodbyes said, Sokka started climbing onto Appa. While he climbed one of the King's guards arrived with a message. "Your majesty, there are three female warriors here to see you" the guard announced. "They're from the island of Kyoshi."

"That's Suki!" Sokka shouted and fell off Appa.

"You know these warriors?" Kuei asked.

"Oh yea" Sokka said. "The Kyoshi Warriors are a skilled group of fighters, trustworthy too. They are good friends of ours."

Kuei nodded. "Then we shall welcome them as honored guests" he declared.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

A few hours later, Katara finally found herself at the threshold of the Earth King's palace. With Ty Lee and Mai behind her, she walked towards the palace. As Katara walked she glanced at the guards standing at attention, which appeared to be there for ceremonial reasons more than practicality. Looking ahead she saw the Earth King standing on a raised floor.

_Where's Aang? _Katara wondered. Taking brief glances around, she couldn't spot any of her friends. _Sokka, you should be here to see your girlfriend._

King Kuei decided to welcome the girls personally. "In our hour of need, it is with the highest honor that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors" Kuei announced.

Katara and the others bowed to King Kuei. As she rose she said "We are the Earth King's loyal servants."

_A/N: The pieces are finally in place. And now the Canon plot can begin to unravel..._


	7. Crash At The Crossroads

_A/N: Boy this one was hard to write, and is easily the longest chapter I've ever written so far for anything._

_Enjoy._

Chapter 7: Crash At The Crossroads

After meeting who he thought were the Kyoshi Warriors, King Kuei brought them into his throne room. Katara looked around, and there was still no sign of her friends. It was just the three girls, the King, and his pet bear. Kuei sat on his throne while the girls kneeled before him.

"Look Bosco, the Kyoshi Warriors are here to protect us" Kuei said to his pet. Then he turned his head to Katara. "It's been a difficult week for me. My most trusted advisor, Long Feng, and his Dai Li agents tried to take control of Ba Sing Se from me."

"It's terrible when your life is turned upside down like that" Katara said.

"But there is good news" Kuei said. "As we speak, the Council of Five is meeting to plan an invasion of the Fire Nation this summer, on the day of the solar eclipse."

_She knows! _Katara realized. It was easy to figure out that if her friends had told the King about the eclipse, then her imposter would have been there to hear about it as well. "Well lets pray that everything goes according to plan" she said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile, Azula was finishing the invasion plans with the Council of Five. When General Howe finished he gave a scroll to Azula that required the Earth King's seal of approval. On her way towards the palace she stopped to make a copy of the invasion plans. All she needed now was a messenger hawk to transform the secret invasion into a total failure.

_Now how am I going to get this to the Fire Lord? _Azula wondered as she walked outside. To her knowledge the Earth Kingdom didn't use messenger hawks, and it would be far too risky to leave Ba Sing Se to steal one from a Fire Nation military camp.

Sighing, Azula muttered "Maybe some tea will help me think?" She spotted a crowd walking towards a brand new teashop, and she walked up to it. On the door she spotted the name of the teashop. _The Jasmine Dragon? Sounds like something Uncle would come up with _she thought.

Azula walked inside the teashop, noting how most of the patrons were higher class. Before she could place an order, Azula heard voices she never expected to find in this city.

"Uncle, I need two Jasmine, one Green, and one Leechi" a familiar teenage voice said.

"I'm brewing as fast as I can" a familiar old voice responded.

_Zuzu? Serving Tea? _Azula wondered. Once the initial surprise wore off Azula suppressed a laugh and grinned. _I'm going to have so much fun with this._

She waited for Zuko to finish with his current order before walking up to him. "Well look who I found" she said. When Zuko turned around in surprise Azula stared into his good eye, waiting for him to say something.

Zuko just stood there, waiting for the Avatar's girlfriend to expose him. "Can I take your order?" he slowly asked.

"Oh yes, one Jasmine from the west, and a darkened Ginseng" Azula said. "And try not to miserably fail like the usual."

While Zuko got to work Azula took a seat next to a table. In under a minute Zuko delivered the tea to Azula. "Is there anything else?" Zuko asked.

"Of course there is something else dum-dum" Azula said. She saw Zuko's good eye widen at the use of that old nickname. "But if there's any honor in this place, then you'll have to come back when I've finished my tea."

Zuko nodded, and then walked away to deal with other customers. Azula took her time with her tea, noting how her uncle hadn't lost his touch. After watching Zuko work for five minutes Azula finished her tea. With a simple wave of her hand Azula caught Zuko's attention, bringing him back for the cups.

"How was it?" Zuko asked.

"It may be the first thing you're actually good at" Azula said. "You could probably bring in the Avatar with this tea as bait."

"I don't know what you're talking about" Zuko quickly lied while picking up the teacups.

"Does that mean you've given up?" Azula asked. "You've finally realized that this life is the best you can ever hope to achieve, dear _Zuzu_."

Zuko dropped the teacups he was carrying, shattering as they hit the floor. He stared at Azula, and she could almost see him piecing together the hints in her words. _Come on Zuzu, figure it out _Azula thought. _It's not like you can do anything about it._

"Get Out!" Zuko demanded.

"If that's what you want" Azula said. "Though I would be careful if I were you."

"Now!" Zuko insisted.

"Very well" Azula said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Katara stood in the middle of the throne room, wondering what to do next. It didn't take long to learn that Aang and Sokka had left Ba Sing Se, and that Toph had gone alone to visit her mother. Mai was watching Ty Lee play with Bosco while Kuei attended to matters elsewhere. Katara felt like she had been backed into a corner, no options other than to wait for her friends to return.

"So is there a reason we're just sitting around here?" Mai asked.

"Now that we're inside we need to wait for the right moment to strike" Katara said. She hoped Mai would buy that excuse, since she had no intention of doing anything against the Earth Kingdom.

"And what would that moment be?" Mai asked.

"I'm working on it" Katara said.

"Hey maybe some tea will help you think?" Ty Lee suggested. "I saw a new teashop opening up on our way here."

"Sure, why not?" Katara said. "I'll check it out."

Katara walked out of the throne room along, taking a sigh of relief. She took her time walking out of the palace, thinking about what to do next. _Maybe this new teashop is the one that girl mentioned? _Katara wondered as she walked down the palace steps. When she reached the bottom she wasn't paying attention to the people around her, and bumped into someone going the other way.

"Hey, watch where…" Katara started to yell, but then saw the face of the girl she bumped into, and the blue eyes that should only stare back in a mirror.

"YOU!" both girls yelled at once. Katara pulled out a war fan and swung it at Azula, who blocked by quickly waterbending a shield of ice. Azula threw her water at Katara, pushing her back several feet. She bended the water back to her and froze it into an icicle, then threw it at Katara. With both fans in hand Katara deflected it to the side.

"What's the matter, haven't figured out how to bend?" Azula taunted.

Looking around, Katara saw several people watching the sudden fight. "I don't need it" Katara said. Then she charged at Azula, swinging the fans like a pair of clubs. Azula dodged the fans and retrieved her water, then turned and ran from Katara. "Get back here!" Katara yelled.

Azula ran up the palace steps, looking for the right place to lose Katara. Just before reaching the top Azula dropped her water onto the steps below her, then froze the water into ice right before Katara reached it. Katara slipped on the ice and fell face first into the steps, stopping her for the moment. Taking advantage of her opponent's delay, Azula ran into the palace and made several turns through its hallways, and Katara lost the trail.

_If she's here, I need to act now _Azula thought, catching her breath in a small room. _The Earth Kingdom must fall tonight._

**OOOOOOOOOO**_  
><em>

After a long flight and a detour that will never be mentioned again, Aang and Sokka arrived at Chameleon Bay. Aang was in a hurry to meet the Guru and finally master the Avatar State, so when they arrived in Aang had Appa land right next to the Water Tribe campsite. Immediately after they landed several Water Tribe warriors walked up to greet their unexpected visitors.

"Sokka, good to see you" one of the warriors said as Sokka climbed off Appa.

"Have fun" Aang said. "See you in a…"

"SOKKA!" a girl's voice yelled. Before Sokka knew what was happening he found himself tackled to the ground by a girl in blue clothing.

Looking at the girl's face, Sokka recognized it. "Suki?" he muttered. "I thought you were in Ba Sing Se?"

"What are you talking about?" Suki asked, standing up with Sokka.

"Before we left the city we were told three Kyoshi Warriors had arrived in Ba Sing Se" Sokka explained. "I thought that was you?"

"Not good" Suki muttered. "Those three girls must be using our equipment as disguises."

"What three girls?" Aang asked, jumping off Appa.

"The other warriors and I were ambushed by three Fire Nation girls a while back" Suki said. "They took us by surprise and captured us."

"Let me guess, one with blue fire, another with knife issues, and a third that should be in a circus?" Sokka asked.

"You know them?" Suki asked.

"The dangerous ladies have tried to kill us since we last visited Omashu" Sokka said. "So how did you escape?"

"That's the strangest part, the one with the blue fire let me escape" Suki said. She took a small lockpick out of her pocket and held it up. "Just before getting shipped away she slipped this into my hands, which I used to free myself."

"Weird, do you have any idea why she would do that?" Aang asked.

"I'm not sure, but it seemed like she was hiding something from the other girls" Suki guessed. "But that's not the point right now. You said there were Kyoshi Warriors in Ba Sing Se, they must be those three girls in disguise."

"But if they are in Ba Sing Se…" Aang muttered. "Katara's in danger!" he shouted. "We have to get back to Ba Sing Se!"

"What about the Guru?" Sokka asked. "You have to see him and master the Avatar State."

"That can wait" Aang said. "I have to go back there now."

"Not alone" Sokka said.

"I'm coming too" Suki said.

"Okay, climb aboard" Aang said.

Once all three of them were on Appa the sky bison flew towards Ba Sing Se. "So Suki, how did you end up with the Water Tribe?" Sokka asked.

"When I escaped my cage I was already on a Fire Nation ship" Suki said. "While trying to find a way off the ship it was ambushed by Bato's boat. I stowed away on it and it brought me here."

"Did you meet my dad?" Sokka asked.

"Yes" Suki said. "He wouldn't stop asking about you and Katara."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Avoiding the fake Kyoshi Warriors, Azula found a path to the lowest levels of the palace. The guards let her enter the prison, still believing her to be an ally. Inside the metal prison she walked to the farthest cell, which contained the former advisor to the Earth King. Azula opened the door to the cell and walked inside it, finding Long Feng waiting.

"Now this is an unexpected visit" Long Feng said. "Why would a friend of the Avatar visit me in my humble prison cell?"

"You could say that I've had a change of heart" Azula said. "And I want to make a deal."

"But I have nothing to offer" Long Feng said.

"Oh but you do" Azula said. "The Dai Li are not loyal to the Earth King. They are loyal to you."

"True, but why would you want them?" Long Feng asked. "You already have the Earth King's support."

"The Earth King is a fool" Azula said. "No, I need someone competent in power, someone like you."

"And in exchange?" Long Feng asked.

"A partnership" Azula said. "You get your city back, as long as you cooperate."

"Very well, I agree to your terms" Long Feng said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After a long day of work at the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh finally closed the teashop. Iroh was pleased with the turnout for the grand opening, and would like to see many of the new faces become regular customers. Aside from two broken teacups, everything had been perfect. But despite the good day, he could see that Zuko was beginning to brood again.

"Is something bothering you nephew" Iroh asked.

"The Avatar's girlfriend was here today, while you were in the back" Zuko said.

"Did she understand what we're trying to accomplish here?" Iroh asked.

"I don't think that matters" Zuko said. "Uncle, there's something wrong with her."

"You barely know her" Iroh said. "How could you possible tell if she's different?"

"That's exactly it" Zuko said. "I know this sounds crazy, but when she talked it seemed like she was someone I do know. She called me _Zuzu_."

"Nephew…"

A knock on the shop's door interrupted Iroh. He opened the door and found a messenger waiting with a scroll in hand. The messenger handed a scroll to Iroh and left. When Iroh read the scroll a smile crossed his face.

"What is it Uncle?" Zuko asked.

"We have been invited to serve tea to the Earth King" Iroh said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"Azula, what happened?" Ty Lee asked.

After losing Azula, Katara walked to the private bedroom that the Earth King had provided. Washing off the Kyoshi makeup had revealed a narrow bruise just below the hairline, left there when she had fallen on the steps. It would have been a simple matter to heal it as a waterbender, but Katara didn't have that luxury. She was about to try covering up the bruise when Ty Lee and Mai had walked into the room.

"A lucky hit" Katara lied. The bruise hurt too much for her to think of a better excuse.

"I assume the person is dead lucky?" Mai asked.

"Good one Mai" Ty Lee said while laughing. "Anyway, Azula, do you mind if I take a look at that?"

"What do you know about treating bruises?" Katara asked.

"Well I picked up a thing or two at the circus" Ty Lee said. "You'd be surprised how many people get injured there."

"Fine" Katara said.

"Okay" Ty Lee said. She walked up to Katara and examined the bruise. "That will probably heal up in a week, maybe sooner with a hot towel on it."

"That sounds like a good idea" Katara said. She grabbed a small cloth from a drawer and soaked it in water, then used firebending to heat it up. Placing the hot towel over the bruise dulled the pain. _Much better _Katara thought.

"So what do we do next?" Mai asked.

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. "Answer that Mai" Katara asked.

Mai walked to the door and opened it. "What is…"

A rock glove covered Mai's mouth, cutting her off. Before she could react another pair of rock gloves caught her hands and bound them behind her back, preventing her from throwing any knives. Earthbending pulled the rock out of the room, taking Mai with it. After Mai was pulled through the door, several Dai Li agents started to enter the room.

The next target for the Dai Li was Ty Lee, but she was able to dodge the rock gloves they used. Weaving between agents she struck their pressure points, paralyzing several off them. After the seventh agent was paralyzed another agent caught Ty Lee's foot with a rook glove, pinning her in one place. Unable to move out of the way with her foot stuck to the floor, the Dai Li bound her hands in rock.

With Ty Lee trapped, Katara realized that she was next. She used small blue fireblasts to set the agents' clothes on fire, taking their attention away from her. The agents on fire stopped, dropped, and rolled to put out the flames while unharmed agents moved in. The fresh agents saw Katara's fireblasts coming and blocked with earth shields, then caught her hands and feet in rock gloves.

With all three girls neutralized, the Dai Li took Ty Lee and their wounded out of the room. Once Katara was alone in the room, she saw Azula walk inside. "Since when did earthbenders take orders from you?" Katara demanded.

"Oh about an hour ago" Azula said. "I was going to wait until after the solar eclipse to bring down Ba Sing Se, but you forced my hand."

"What happens to me now?" Katara asked.

"For now, I'm going to keep you in a safe place" Azula said. "I don't fully understand just how far our little accident goes. For all I know killing you could harm me as well."

"You didn't hesitate to hurt me earlier" Katara said.

"You're still alive aren't you" Azula said. "By the way that is quite a bruise you have. I'd hate to see my face scarred like Zuzu's." Azula took a small amount of water and bended it onto Katara's bruised forehead. The water glowed for a few seconds before fading, taking the bruise with it.

"Now if you'll excuse me" Azula said. "I don't want to be late for teatime."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Just outside the palace was a small building, reserved for the Earth King's private entertainment. The main room in it had its own throne for the King, smaller than the one in the palace but still grand in its own way. In front of it was a small table, with Iroh and Zuko kneeling on the other side. They were they only people in the room, and by the time Iroh started pouring tea Zuko was getting suspicious.

"What's taking so long?" Zuko asked.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" Iroh suggested.

Then they saw several Dai Li entering the room, surrounding them. "Something's not right" Zuko whispered to his uncle.

One the Dai Li finished surrounding Zuko and Iroh, Azula walked into the room. "It's teatime" she said.

"Katara?" Zuko said, standing up case of a likely fight.

"Have you met the Dai Li?" Azula asked. "They're earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that's perfect for fighting firebenders. I just love it."

Iroh picked up his cup of tea and stood up beside Zuko. "Did you know that I'm called The Dragon of the West?" he asked.

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote" Azula said.

"It's more of a demonstration" Iroh said, taking a sip of tea. On cue Zuko ducked behind Iroh while the old man breathed fire, taking the Dai Li by surprise and breaking their formation. He blew open a hole in the wall, creating an exit for himself and Zuko.

Together Iroh and Zuko ran through the hallway. Dai Li followed them and attempted to strike them with small pieces of rock fired from their gloves. Iroh and Zuko dodged the attacks long enough for Iroh to blow open a hole in the side of the building and jumped out of it, landing on the ground one story below.

Looking up, Iroh saw that Zuko hadn't jumped after him. "Come on! You'll be fine!" he shouted.

"No, I'm tired of running" Zuko said. "Something is very wrong here and I need to face it."

Zuko turned away from the hole in the wall, and saw Azula standing in the hallway with Dai Li agents behind her. "You're so dramatic" Azula said. "I suppose you'll want to fight me one on one now?"

"Yes, I challenge you" Zuko declared.

"No thanks" Azula said.

Zuko tried to attack Azula with a fireblast, but the Dai Li blocked it by earthbending the floor into a shield. A pair of agents launched their rock gloves, binding Zuko's feet and one of his hands to the floor. Zuko saw Azula turn and walk away right when the Dai Li used another rock glove to strike him into unconsciousness.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Despite assurances from King Kuei that Katara was fine, Aang refused to believe it until he saw her face. Along with Sokka and Suki he took Appa to the house in the upper ring. Aang wanted to pick up Toph before looking for Katara, and he figured that she would have been done talking with her mother by now.

Leaving Appa waiting in front of the house, everyone walked through the front doors. Inside the silence quickly told Aang that no one was there. "Why isn't Toph back yet?" Aang wondered.

"Maybe her dad shoved her in a metal box to take her back to Gaoling?" Sokka joked.

"Wait, what" Suki said, confused by Sokka's joke.

"Oh Toph's dad has protection issues" Sokka explained.

"You guys are going to have to fill me in soon" Suki said.

"Okay, but first we need to find Katara" Aang said. He walked back to the front door and was about to open it when someone knocked on the other side. Opening the door he was surprised to find Iroh standing outside.

"I need your help" Iroh said.

Aang and Sokka immediately prepared for a fight, while Suki wondered who Iroh was. "What are you doing here?" Sokka demanded.

"May I come in?" Iroh politely asked.

Sokka looked around Iroh, and found that a certain Angry Jerk was missing. "Alright, just keep the firebending to yourself."

Iroh walked inside the house, and looked Aang straight in the eye. "This is going to sound crazy, and you will probably not believe me" Iroh said. "Katara has captured my nephew."

Aang and Sokka took a moment to process Iroh's statement. "You're right, I _don't_ believe you" Sokka said. "She wouldn't do something like that alone."

"She was assisted by the Dai Li" Iroh said.

"The _Dai Li_!" Aang shouted. "Don't tell me they brainwashed her like Jet."

"I do not know" Iroh admitted. "She seemed… different. Colder."

"You barely know my sister!" Sokka shouted. "How could you possibly tell if she's different?"

"I asked my nephew the same question after he saw her at my teashop" Iroh explained. "But today she was not the kind hearted girl that I met at the North Pole. She reminded me of someone else."

"And that would be who…?" Sokka asked.

"I won't say, not until I'm certain" Iroh said. "By the spirits, I hope I'm wrong."

"Very well, we'll work together to find Katara and Zuko" Aang said. "And we'll figure out what's going on here."

"Is someone going to explain to me what's been going on in this city?" Suki asked.

"Later" Aang and Sokka said together.

"I brought someone along that might be able to help us" Iroh said. He walked outside the house and led everyone around the corner to show a Dai Li agent, bound and gagged. Iroh removed the gag from the agent's mouth, allowing the agent to speak.

"Katara and Long Feng are planning a coup, they're going to overthrow the Earth King" the agent confessed.

Sokka turned to Aang. "Please tell me Toph taught you her lie-detecting ability?" Sokka asked.

"Nope" Aang admitted.

"Figures" Sokka said. He turned back towards the agent. "Where is my sister?" he demanded.

"I don't know" the agent admitted. "But she did mention a special prisoner, kept in the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se deep beneath the palace."

"That has to be Zuko" Aang guessed.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In reality, the 'special prisoner' was Katara, stripped of the Kyoshi Warrior equipment and left with basic Earth Kingdom clothes to wear. The only light in the small cave came from crystals that glowed green. There was no physical way out, leaving earthbending as the only means to access the cave. With nothing to do but wait, Katara paced in the cave to pass the time.

Unsure how long she had been in the cave, Katara heard a tunnel form with earthbending. At the top was a pair of Dai Li agents. "Enjoy your family reunion" one agent said and shoved a boy into the tunnel before closing it. Katara recognized the boy's face.

"Zuko?" she muttered.

Hearing Katara speak made Zuko instinctively take a fighting stance. "Azula!" he yelled. "What are you doing here?"

"Standing around in a cave, what else would it look like?" Katara said.

Unconvinced, Zuko kept his guard up. "Let me guess, it's a trap, so that when Uncle shows up to help me you can finally have him in your clutches."

Surprised by Zuko's assumption, Katara said nothing. _What in the world happened to make him hate his own sister? _Katara wondered.

"You're a terrible person, you know that" Zuko accused. "Always following us, hunting our Uncle, trying to kill a man that only wants to live a peacefully. But what do you care? You're the perfect princess, when father says kill, you say how quickly."

Katara was horrified by Zuko's description of Azula, and it showed on her face. Barely keeping herself from yelling, she said "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I Don't?" Zuko yelled. "You have no idea what father's put me through, personally! Uncle's the only person I have left!"

"I'm sorry" Katara said. _Should I tell him? _Katara wondered. _Would he believe me?_

Zuko was surprised by Katara's apology. Being uttered in Azula's voice it sounded like a foreign language, something that he had never heard before. "What is going on here?" Zuko muttered.

"What was that?" Katara asked, barely hearing what Zuko had muttered.

_First Katara looses it, and now Azula is different too _Zuko thought. "What really happened that night Azula?" Zuko asked. "When our mother disappeared."

"I…"

Suddenly the wall of the cave exploded, scattering small pieces of rock throughout the cave. From the new hole in the wall Katara saw Iroh and Aang emerge, followed by Sokka and Suki. Iroh layed eyes upon Zuko first, and immediately embraced his nephew.

"Aang!" Katara shouted, glad that she had finally found him. But when Aang saw her he immediately threw a blast of wind at her, pushing Katara back and slamming into the wall. Before Katara could explain, Aang earthbended the wall, creating restraints around her hands and feet.

"What have you done to Katara?" Aang demanded.

"Nothing!" Katara shouted.

"You're lying!" Sokka accused. "Where is my sister?"

"Right in front of you!" Katara shouted.

The sudden silence in the cave was deafening. Katara could see a look of understanding on Iroh's face, while Zuko's was in disbelief. Suki was simply confused, while Aang merely stared at Katara. However Sokka looked ready to explode, and rushed in to place the sharp side of his machete at Katara's throat.

"How dare you say that!" Sokka screamed. "My sister is _nothing _like you!" Then to his surprise Suki grabbed Sokka's hand and pulled the machete away from Katara.

"Cool it Sokka" Suki asked.

"You're defending this liar!" Sokka shouted.

"I won't pretend to understand what she meant" Suki said. "But I do know that she isn't all bad. She didn't have to let me go earlier, but she did."

"Leave her here" Zuko interrupted. "She can't harm anyone stuck like that."

"Fine!" Sokka shouted. Then he grumbled "Can't believe I'm listening to Angry Jerk…"

"Go find your friends" Iroh suggested. "We'll catch up with you."

Immediately Aang, Sokka, and Suki left the cave through a passage Aang made with earthbending. Iroh waited a few minutes to give them a head start, then led Zuko into the passage to gain some distance from Katara.

"Why Uncle?" Zuko asked, referring to coming with the Avatar

"You are not the man you used to be Zuko" Iroh stated. "You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It is time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."

Zuko couldn't believe what his uncle was suggesting. The actual words weren't spoken, but the meaning was still there. He was being asked to join the Avatar.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

When Katara was alone in the cave again, she started crying. _They didn't believe me _she thought. _They think I'm her. _She tried to break free of the restraints, but the rock held her to the wall. _I'll make them understand. Even if it kills me._

Suddenly the side of the cave was opened with earthbending, and Katara saw Azula walk inside with two Dai Li agents. "How are my favorite prisoners…" she stopped talking when she saw Katara stuck to the wall. Turning to her agents, she said "Who gave the order to bind her like that?"

"No orders, this wasn't our doing" one agent said.

"In that case, cut her loose" Azula ordered. The Dai Li complied and removed the rock binding Katara. "Now where did Zuzu go?" Azula asked. "Or did you kill him while I wasn't looking?"

"Why would I kill him?" Katara asked.

Before answering, Azula dismissed the Dai Li with a wave of her hand. Once the two girls were alone Azula was ready to reply. "He's your enemy, and you're a firebender" Azula said. "And I know he hates both of us."

"Why are you really here?" Katara asked. "Surely you have better things to do than talk about Zuko."

"Quite true" Azula said. "I need your help."

Katara couldn't help but laugh. "You're insane" she said. "I would never help you."

"Maybe, unless you have the right incentive" Azula said. "You see I've plotted every move of this day. But when it's over one piece is still missing from the grand scheme. Me…"

"You?" Katara questioned.

"Yes, or rather, that face that belongs to me" Azula corrected. "As far as father knows I'm just a peasant, and it would be beyond impossible to convince him otherwise. I need you there to appease him."

"And what would I get out of this?" Katara asked.

"You mean besides getting to see the sun again?" Azula said. "You get all the perks of being a Fire Nation princess. The glory, the power, the control… well maybe not the last one."

"Of all people, you should know I don't care about any of that" Katara said.

"Okay then, if you don't join me I'll make sure your friends die very slow and painful deaths" Azula threatened. "All you have to do to keep them alive is side with me." Then she started walking towards the passage that Katara's friends had used. "You are free to choose."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The passage from the cave led to a large cavern, with an artificial stream running through a long abandoned courtyard. Green crystals were everywhere, lighting up the entire cavern. Aang led the way in, being the only earthbender present.

"Katara's got to be around here somewhere" Aang muttered.

"Maybe she's up in the palace?" Suki suggested. "Can you earthbend us back up there?"

Looking up, Aang wondered how much effort it would take to lift them straight up with earthbending. "That might take a while."

"Wait up!" everyone heard a voice shout. Turning towards the voice everyone saw that Iroh was approaching through the passage, with Zuko following behind him.

"You're both still here?" Sokka questioned. "Let me guess, we're going back to the good old days where Zuko tried to capture Aang?"

"Not quite" Zuko said. "For now, I'm willing to put that aside until we get out of Ba Sing Se."

"It's a start" Aang said. "Let's get moving."

Suddenly the water from the steam was thrown towards the group, taking them by surprise. The water slammed into everyone, the current sweeping them away. Aang stopped the water around him with waterbending, but everyone else was slammed into the wall and stuck to it when the water froze around their limbs. Looking for the source of the waterbending, Aang saw Azula standing near the stream.

"Katara, what were you thinking!" Aang shouted.

"That's not Katara!" Zuko yelled. With firebending he heated the ice around him fast enough to make it explode into steam. "I don't know how or why, but that's not her!"

Despite being stuck to a wall, Sokka refused to believe Zuko. "Of course that's Katara" he said. "Katara, what's your favorite food."

"Turtleduck salad" Azula said.

"See stewed sea pru… Oh Crap!" Sokka realized.

"Indeed" Azula said. Then she pulled more water from the stream and threw it at Aang, who diverted it with his waterbending. While Aang blocked the attack Zuko attacked Azula with a fireblast, which she blocked with a shield of water.

Bending as much water as she could into a wide ring, Azula was ready to deal with Aang and Zuko. But just before she could attack, a blue fireblast hit the floor between her and her enemies. Looking towards the source of the fire, Azula saw Katara at the exit of the passage. Everyone waited for Katara to pick a side, and her choice was made clear when she threw a blue fireblast at Zuko.

Zuko jumped out of the way, then released a stream of fire at Katara. She created her own stream of blue fire which hit Zuko's fire. Red and Blue fire mixed, and the spot where they intersected moved back and forth between Katara and Zuko. While the two firebenders struggled for dominance Azula focused her attention on Aang.

The struggle between firebenders was evenly matched, neither side gaining ground against the other. The floor where fire mixed melted from the heat, and the melted rock started to flow towards both sides. Both firebenders had to stop before the melted rock approached their feet, and both jumped away from the heated area of the cavern.

"I thought you had changed!" Zuko yelled while throwing a fireblast.

"I have changed" Katara said while blocking Zuko's attack. In the corner of her vision Katara saw Azula fighting Aang, with her back turned towards Katara. Seizing the opportunity Katara threw a blue fireblast at Azula, hitting her in the back and taking her out of the fight.

Aang was surprised to see his opponent hit in the back with fire. When Azula fell to the ground Aang saw Katara behind her, a look of relief on her face. "Katara?" he questioned.

"I'm right here" Katara said. She saw Aang look at her, then Azula, and realize what had happened. And Aang fainted.

"Aang!" Katara cried out, and ran up to him. She lifted his head from where it hit the floor, then picked up the rest of him. Turning towards her friends, she saw Iroh using firebending to release them from the ice.

Sokka was the first to walk towards Katara. "So… what is your favorite food?"

"Gran-Gran's sea prunes" Katara answered.

"It really is you" Sokka admitted. Then he lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you earlier."

"How did this happen?" Suki asked. "Or is it another thing you've all neglected to tell me?"

"It was the…"

Interrupting Katara was the arrival of several dozen Dai Li, who had standing orders to assist Azula if she hadn't returned by a specific time. They burst through the walls with earthbending and surrounded everyone in the cavern.

Taking the initiative, Iroh started throwing fire at as many Dai Li as he could to draw their attention. "Zuko, grab Azula and go with the others" Iroh commanded. "I'll hold them off as long as I can."

Trusting his uncle's decision, Zuko picked up Azula. She was out cold from the burn in her back, but still breathing. Running alongside Katara, Sokka, and Suki they ran from the Dai Li. But there was nowhere to go in the cavern, since the Dai Li had sealed the exits with earthbending.

Stopping next to a waterfall that fed the cavern's stream, Katara put Aang on the floor. "Wake up" she said and slapped his cheek. She saw Aang's eyes open, and he instinctively pushed away from Katara before remembering it was her and not Azula.

"What is going on here?" Aang asked.

"No time to explain" Katara said. "Just bend the water and get us out of here."

Aang stood up and started bending the waterfall. The water wrapped around everyone and lifted them up, towards the hole in the ceiling that the water had flowed from. Once through the hole Aang carried everyone through a tunnel, which led back to the upper ring.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

An hour later Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Zuko, and Azula were on Appa and flying away from Ba Sing Se. Zuko kept watch over Azula, just in case she woke up. As Appa flew over the city's streets everyone could see Dai Li securing their hold over Ba Sing Se, and with Azula out of the picture the city was under the complete control of Long Feng.

No one dared relax until they passed the outer wall. When they finally landed the wall was just on the horizon, and everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. Everyone climbed off Appa just in time to feel the earth rumble. In the distance everyone saw a mound of earth moving towards them, which stopped right in front of them and revealed Toph.

"So what'd I miss?" Toph asked.

Everyone stared at Toph, with no idea where to begin.

_A/N: I'd really like to know what everyone thinks of this chapter. The plot bunnies are breeding again for another story and good reviews help me stay focused on this one._


	8. Reunions and Reactions

_A/N: I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter. You guys are awesome, and your comments helped me decide which direction to take with this chapter, and exterminate those blasted plot bunnies (for now). Some of your questions will be addressed here, as a thank you for being good reviewers.  
><em>

Chapter 8: Reunions and Reactions

The following morning was, for lack of a better word, strange. Having Zuko with the group was weird enough, but seeing him tie up Azula in Katara's body sent chills down Aang's spine. Adding to the weirdness was Katara in Azula's body making breakfast for everyone, and the smile on her face sent chills down Zuko's spine. Sokka was filling in Suki on everything that happened since they went through the Serpent's Pass together. Toph was wondering if Sokka had spiked her water with cactus juice.

"So let me get this straight" Toph asked. "Right before we got to Ba Sing Se, Sugarqueen and Icey here switched places, and none of us noticed until last night? And then it got worse when Long Feng took over Ba Sing Se? And now Zuko's a good guy?"

"Pretty much" Sokka said.

"Why does all the weird stuff happen when I'm not around?" Toph questioned.

"You got me there" Sokka said.

"So is there any way to get Katara back in her own body?" Suki asked.

"Not that I know of" Sokka said. "Hey Aang, do your Avatar powers include mind switching?"

"Just because I'm the Avatar doesn't mean I can just pull new abilities out of nowhere" Aang said.

"Maybe we should try repeating the accident that caused this mess" Zuko suggested.

"If I had more spirit water I would have tried that already" Katara said, handing out bowls of boiled rice. "The only place we can get more is back at the North Pole."

"So go back to the North Pole" Suki said. "That shouldn't take too long on Appa. Fly there, get more magic water, and switch back to normal."

"Appa can't carry all of us that far" Aang said. He counted up everyone present on his fingers. "There are seven of us here and Appa got exhausted when it was just three of us trying to get there."

"Does this mean we have to split up again?" Toph asked. "That didn't work out so well last time."

"Hey maybe the Guru knows something?" Sokka suggested. "You still have to meet him."

"Who's this Guru?" Katara asked.

"A spiritual expert at the Eastern Air Temple, and he's supposed to help me master the Avatar State" Aang answered. "It's a long shot, but maybe he can help."

"Okay, but what do we do with her in the meantime?" Katara asked, gesturing towards Azula.

Azula lay on her stomach, still unconscious from the burn in her back. It had been bandaged the night before, but without a healer present the burn would guarantee a scar. Her arms and legs were bound just in case she woke up.

"Well I guess we take her with us" Aang said.

"All the way to the Eastern Air Temple?" Katara asked.

"We might as well if your coming along" Aang said.

"It does make sense" Sokka said. "I'm willing to bet that you and her will have to be together in order to fix this."

"Can Appa carry all of us there?" Suki asked.

"He doesn't need to" Sokka said. "We should stop at Chameleon Bay to replan the invasion with my dad. The old plan is kind of worthless now."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In Ba Sing Se, Prime Minister Long Feng sat in his new throne. The Avatar had completed the planned doublecross for him, taking Azula out of the equation and cementing the loyalty of the Dai Li in his hands. With the city under his complete control, Long Feng decided to address the spoils of the coup. The three citizens of the Fire Nation were bound and on their knees before him, Iroh in the middle with Ty Lee and Mai on each side. Several Dai Li agents guarded the prisoners from behind them.

"The Dragon of the West and the Fire Princess's best lackeys" Long Feng started. "To think if it weren't for a certain Water Tribe girl you would have slipped under my nose."

"The best hiding places are right where everyone can see them" Iroh responded.

"Of course they are" Long Feng said. "But now that your prisoners of war, it's up to me to determine where to put you." With a sinister smile on his face he thought about the options. "Perhaps dark and gloomy here could be put to work as an assassin. You certainly have the skill for it."

"Bite me" Mai retorted, getting a giggle from Ty Lee.

"And what about you little lady" Long Feng said. "I already know what I have in mind for you. Those chi-blocking skills would be devastating if taught to even a handful of soldiers, let alone an army. And I have ways to extract that knowledge from that pretty little head of yours, should you resist."

Ty Lee gulped at the threat. "I'm not scared of you" she claimed.

"Oh you will be" Long Feng said. "And that leaves the Great General Iroh, who besieged Ba Sing Se for six hundred days. It's a shame your brother declared you a traitor, I could have used the ransom."

"That would have been ill advised, even if my brother and I saw eye to eye" Iroh responded.

"Yes, from what I've seen the royal family has a tendency to doublecross everyone" Long Feng Stated. "Oh well I suppose I'll have to settle for keeping you around as my own personal teamaker. After all, waste not."

With a wave of a hand Long Feng ordered the Dai Li to take the prisoners away. "Bring them to Lake Laogai once it's rebuilt" he ordered to another agent. "Those three are going to be very valuable to the New Earth Kingdom."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

It only took a few hours for Appa to reach Chameleon Bay. When they arrived the Water Tribe was preparing for a new patrol, only halting their actions when they saw Appa in the sky. The sky bison landed on the beach, and the warriors surrounded him in welcoming. The first warrior Aang recognized was Bato, who led the welcoming committee.

"Couldn't stay away could you" Bato teased.

"It's good to see you again" Aang said.

"Who are the new friends?" Bato asked, looking at Katara, Toph, and Zuko.

"Actually…"

"Wait Aang" Katara interrupted. "I'd prefer if we told Hakoda first."

"Tell him what?" Bato asked.

"It's a long and confusing story" Sokka answered. "Anyway, is my dad busy?"

"No more than usual" Bato said. "He's in the main tent."

"They've got wounded!" a tall warrior yelled, spotting Azula on top of Appa. Before anyone could stop him the warrior got a good look at Azula's face. "Spirits no… it's Katara."

Sokka slapped his forehead, mentally kicking himself for forgetting to expect this reaction. Almost instantly the mood in the camp dropped from cheerful to dread, everything believing that Katara was badly hurt.

"Well what are you all waiting for?" Katara questioned. "Get her some medical attention."

While several men worked on carrying Azula to the medical tent, Katara, Sokka, and Aang hurried to Hakoda's tent. They reached the tent before anyone else did, arriving just before word of 'Katara's' injury could reach Hakoda. Inside the chief and a few other men were overlooking plans for a raid, and looked up when the three kids barged in.

"Sokka" Hakoda said when he saw his son. He stood up and gave Sokka a hug, having missed being able to do so for two years.

"You might want to sit down" Sokka suggested. "_Alone._"

"What is it?" Hakoda asked.

"Trust me Dad, it's going to be a shock" Sokka warned.

"Alright" Hakoda agreed. The other men walked out of the tent and Hakoda sat down in the center of it. "So what's the news?"

"It's about Katara" Sokka said. "She's kind of had a change."

"How so?" Hakoda asked.

Katara raised her hand and waved. "Hi Dad" she said.

Staring at Katara for a moment, Hakoda didn't understand what she meant. "Sokka, I know you have my sense of humor, but I don't get it" he said.

"Dad, that's Katara" Sokka stated. "She's stuck in someone else's body."

"It's true dad, as much as I don't like it" Katara admitted.

"Prove it then" Hakoda asked. "What's your…"

"Sea Prunes" Katara interrupted. "I swear, you and Sokka might as well be the same guy inside."

For that last sentence, Hakoda could almost hear Katara's natural voice on top of Azula's voice. He wasn't certain if it had been real or if he was imagining it, but that was enough to convince him that his children were telling the truth. Immediately he stood up and hugged Katara, his only concern was being the father he wished he could have been for the last two years.

"Katara, I'm sorry for everything" Hakoda apologized.

"You can let go now" Katara asked, feeling squeezed a little too hard.

"Oh" Hakoda said as he let go. "So… does anyone have a plan to fix this?"

"Kind of" Aang said. "But that's not the main reason we're here."

"Explain" Hakoda asked.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile Zuko, Toph, and Suki helped carry Azula to the medical tent. Once inside the tent they set Azula down on a mat face down. Bato unwrapped the bandage on Azula to examine the burn, thanking the spirits that it hadn't become infected yet. He recognized the nature of the burn as a firebending attack, having been on the receiving end of one just months earlier.

"Who did this to her?" Bato asked.

"That doesn't matter" Zuko said. "Just treat it."

Taking a moment to walk to a shelf, Bato grabbed a large bottle. Inside was a lotion made for him by the nuns in that abbey that took care of him for a while. "This will help prevent infection" Bato explained as he applied a liberal amount to Azula's back. "With any luck, she'll be up and about in a few days."

_And since that's Azula, probably just two _Zuko thought to himself. "Is it safe to take her anywhere in that condition?" he asked.

"I wouldn't advise it" Bato said. "Right now what she needs is rest."

"Good" Zuko said. He walked out of the tent and gestured for Toph and Suki to follow him. Together they walked down the beach until they were out of earshot from the warriors. "Someone needs to keep an eye on my sister" Zuko whispered.

"And you're asking that… to _me_?" Toph questioned, waving her hand in front of her eyes.

"I didn't mean literally" Zuko corrected. "We just need to be certain that nothing happens to her."

"Won't that be just a little bit suspicious?" Suki asked. "Or are we going to explain all this to everyone here?"

"Eventually I assume, but for now these people aren't aware" Zuko said.

"Okay then, I'll watch her" Toph volunteered. "Tents don't mean a thing to me so I can 'see' her without anyone realizing it, even in all this sand."

"Excellent" Zuko said. With the issue of his sister settled Zuko walked towards Hakoda's tent.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"It's settled then" Hakoda said. "We'll leave Ba Sing Se behind and invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun."

"That gives us almost two months to prepare" Sokka stated. "It should be enough for Aang to learn firebending from the Angry Jerk in time."

"I heard that!" Zuko yelled from just outside the tent. He barged inside, and could immediately see Hakoda stare at the scar on Zuko's face.

"Who's your friend?" Hakoda asked.

"I wouldn't use that term, yet" Sokka said. "He's more of a temporary associate."

"I'm only here because Uncle wanted this" Zuko explained. "I really don't care about any of you."

"Alright, I can respect that" Sokka said. "Anyway, you're just the person I wanted to talk to."

"About?" Zuko asked.

"First, we could use what you know about the Fire Nation's defenses" Sokka asked.

"I haven't been there in three years" Zuko said. "Anything I know is too out of date."

"So much for having inside information" Katara muttered.

"No, but we can still get it" Sokka said. "Katara, Zuko, what if we got both of you inside the Fire Nation palace."

"You're crazy!" Zuko and Katara said at once, but for different reasons.

"Don't bite my head off yet" Sokka quickly said. "Just hear me out first."

"What's your plan?" Aang asked.

"Look, whether we like it or not, Katara's the Fire Lord's daughter now" Sokka said. "We can use that to get our people inside the Fire Nation before the eclipse."

"No" Katara objected. "I'm sick of pretending to be that monster. Using this body like that isn't worth it."

"Katara…"

"I said no!" Katara yelled, interrupting Sokka. "Would you do this if you and Zuko switched places?" Katara saw Sokka and Zuko shudder at the thought. "I doubt you'd last even a mile in his shoes before going mad."

"Alright, fine" Sokka said.

"Let's get out of here Aang, the Guru's waiting" Katara said just before leaving the tent.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"So… How long have you known Sokka?" Toph asked.

Sitting next to Toph on the beach was Suki, and they were both bored keeping watch on Azula. Aside from the steady breathing and occasional limb movement, there was no sign that Azula would be moving anywhere anytime soon. Wanting something to help pass the time, Toph decided to make small talk with Suki.

"Well before we went through the Serpent's Pass, I only knew him for a few days" Suki admitted. "He was kind of a jerk back then, but not so much anymore."

"I suppose…" Toph stopped talking when she felt someone new approach the camp. The sand blurred what she saw, but it was definitely not someone that belonged in the Water Tribe. "We have company" Toph stated as she stood up.

Looking around, Suki spotted a man in Earth Kingdom armor walking down the beach, heading for the camp. With Toph at her side Suki hurried to intercept him. They stopped a few yards in front of the stranger, and they were joined by several Water Tribe warriors at their backs. Up close they saw that the stranger kept his head shaved bald.

"State your business" Suki bluntly asked the stranger.

"Of course" the man replied. "I am Lu Se, a representative of the New Ba Sing Se."

"What do you want?" Toph demanded, ready to bend the sand around Lu Se into a stone shell.

"As you may or may not be aware, there has been a regime change in Ba Sing Se" Lu Se said. "The Prime Minister desires a more… _centralized_ approach to the war effort. He wants every force allied with the Earth Kingdom to take orders directly from his generals, instead of independent actions."

"And what happens if we refuse?" Suki asked.

"No direct action will be taken against you" Lu Se said. "But any force not taking orders from Ba Sing Se will not be differentiated from the enemy in military actions. For your own safety, I recommend that you accept the Prime Minister's conditions."

"We'll consider it" Suki lied. "Now I recommend that you leave."

"Very well, have a nice day" Lu Se said and turned around to leave.

Once Lu Se was out of earshot, Suki turned towards Toph. "It's only been a day and Long Feng's already getting to work" she whispered.

"So I guess we should tell Aang and the others about this?" Toph asked. At that moment a shadow passed by Toph, which she didn't notice.

Suki saw the shadow moving and looked up to see Appa flying away. "Too late, Aang's already leaving" Suki said.

"Did anyone tell you Aang was leaving this early?" Toph asked.

"No one tells me anything" Suki complained.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Onboard Appa, Aang and Katara directed the sky bison towards the Eastern Air Temple. Katara was in a hurry to reach the Guru and find out if he knew how to get her out of Azula's body. It was her main goal now that she didn't have to hide behind that façade as Azula. She couldn't believe that her own brother wanted her to continue the act.

The trip to the Eastern Air Temple took two days, stopping only to let Appa rest. In the evening they arrived, taking in the view of the three mountains that housed the temple. While Aang let the view bring back old memories of better times, Katara looked around for the Guru. She saw him sitting out in the open, in the center of a raised stone circle in front of the temple.

Appa landed in front of the stone circle, since there wasn't enough room on it for him. Aang and Katara jumped off Appa and climbed the steps that led to the Guru. "Hello" Aang said. "You're Guru Pathik, right? You're the person that attached the note to Appa's horn?"

"Indeed" Pathik said, not moving from his meditative stance. _"__I was a spiritual brother of your people, and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso.__"_

"How?" Katara questioned. "You'd have to be over a hundred years old."

"One hundred and fifty one next Tuesday" Pathik answered. "Time flies when you're my age."

"In your note, you said you could teach me to gain control of the Avatar State" Aang said. "How?"

"You must gain balance within yourself, before you can bring balance to the world" Pathik explained.

"Before you start that, can I ask a question?" Katara asked.

"You just did" Pathix pointed out.

"You know what I meant" Katara said.

"Of course, go on" Pathik said.

"A while back, an accident involving some spirit water forced me into someone else's body" Katara explained, prompting Pathik to raise an eyebrow. "Is there any chance you know a way to reverse it?"

Pathik closed his eyes, pondering the question. "There is… _one_ possible solution, but I don't like it" Pathik said. "Bear in mind, what I know should only be used as a last resort."

"What is it?" Katara asked.

"There is an old tale of two warriors, both searching for power to rival a past Avatar" Pathik described. "Their names have been long lost to history, but that is beside the point. Both warriors sought aid from the spirits, and entered the spirit world together. One spirit was amused by their request for power, and granted it by combining the two warriors into a single being."

"They can do that?" Aang wondered.

"The spirits can do many things, especially in their own domain" Pathik said. "The combined warrior fought the past Avatar to a draw. But the spirit's gift was short lived, and the warrior was split back into two. When that happened, each warrior discovered that the process had left their minds in the wrong bodies."

"The spirit tricked them" Aang realized.

"Yes" Pathik confirmed. "That particular spirit found amusement in watching each warrior live out the other's life, and only reversed it when he became bored with them."

"So if we find the spirit, we can ask it to put me back in my own body" Katara said.

"That is the dangerous part" Pathik said. "I know little about this particular spirit, but I do know that he is sometimes called The Face Stealer."

"Koh…" Aang muttered, remembering his encounter with the spirit.

"I see you've met him before" Pathik said, noticing the tone in Aang's voice.

"Once, and it's not an experience I'd like to repeat" Aang admitted.

"What happened?" Katara asked.

"I don't want to talk about it" Aang said, remembering how Koh had come within inches of taking his face in the spirit world. "Pathik is right, this option is a last resort. We should try repeating the spirit water accident first."

The look on Aang's face showed just how terrifying Koh had been, and that asking him for a favor was not an action to be taken lightly. "Okay Aang, we'll do that" Katara said. "But first let's get you control of the Avatar State."

"Good" Pathik said, standing up. "Follow me, there's a place we can begin properly."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back at the Water Tribe camp, everyone turned in for the night. Sokka and Suki were using Hakoda's tent while Zuko had his own tent separated from the others. Toph had made a tent out of earth near the medical tent, which she stayed in to keep watch on Azula.

Toph was supposed to watch Azula for part of the night, but it was so boring that she fell asleep. In her dreams she was beating up every foe she had ever fought, at the same time. All while listening to cheering from fans of The Blind Bandit, blissfully unaware of the vibrations being made just a few feet away from her in reality.

Azula had woken up in the medical tent, and stumbled outside it. Even in the dark she could see the blue coloring of the tents, marking them as Water Tribe. _Have to get out of here _Azula thought, slowly walking out of the camp. The burn on her back was painful and sapped her strength, but Azula refused to let it stop her.

She was determined to salvage something from this disaster.


	9. Chakras and Charity

Chapter 9: Chakras and Charity

"She WHAT!" Zuko yelled, smoke seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"Calm down Sparky" Toph said.

"Azula can't have gone far" Suki said.

It was early morning, and Suki was supposed to have relieved Toph in guarding Azula several hours ago. What she found was Toph sound asleep and Azula missing. On her own Suki followed tracks in the sand leading away from the camp, but the trail ended at a heavily used road. When she lost Azula's trail Suki had returned to the camp to report. At sunrise Zuko had woken up to relieve Suki, and was furious when he found out Azula was missing.

"IDIOTS!" Zuko yelled, with smoke rising from his clenched fists. "This is _exactly _why I wanted her watched in the first place!"

"In her condition, we can still catch her" Suki said.

"Her condition doesn't matter!" Zuko yelled. "We had her! And she _still_ escaped!"

"Then we better start chasing her" Sokka said.

"Yes" Zuko said, trying to calm down. "But we're doing this _my_ way!" He walked across the beach towards Hakoda's tent, his footsteps heating the sand into glass. Zuko saw Hakoda standing next to the tent, having been trying to stay away from Zuko's temper. "Chief, are there any ostrich-horses here?" Zuko asked.

"We have three stabled not far from here" Hakoda answered.

"I'm taking them" Zuko demanded. "Sokka, Suki, you're with me. Toph, I want this area earthbended into a fortress."

"Since when do you give orders around here?" Sokka asked.

"This is _Azula_ we're dealing with" Zuko said. "You've only known her for what, a month? I've had to deal with her all of my life. I call the shots when we deal with her."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Limping down a dirt road, Azula focused on getting as far away from the Water Tribe camp as possible. She could feel her strength slipping away, the burn on her back taking its toll. Even though she struggled to fight off unconsciousness, Azula refused to give in. It wasn't until she heard a noise coming from behind her that she stopped moving.

Turning around, Azula saw a wagon drawn by a pair of ostridge-horses. She was directly in its path, and moved to get out of the way. On the edge of the road Azula tripped on a rock, falling to the ground. She heard the wagon stop nearby, the driver having seen her fall.

The driver was a middle aged man with a short bead and brown hair. He jumped off the wagon and rushed to Azula, a woman and a boy watching from the wagon. "Are you alright?" the man said, kneeling at Azula's side.

"No…" Azula muttered.

"Okay, we'll get you to safety" the man said. Trying to pick up Azula, the man placed a hand on her back.

"OWWW!" Azula screamed, feeling intense pain until the man pulled his hand away. "My back…" Azula muttered when the pain subsided.

"I see now" the man muttered. "Sela, help me lift her."

"Coming Gansu" Sela said, hurrying to help her husband. Together they lifted Azula by her arms and carried her towards the wagon. "Lee, make some room" Sela asked.

"On it" Lee said. Even though he was just a little boy with a few teeth missing, he was still able to rearrange the farming equipment in the wagon to provide space. He laid down a mat in time for his parents to lift Azula into the wagon and place her on it.

"Careful now" Gansu said as he and Sela set down Azula.

"Don't get any ideas now Lee" Sela teased.

"Mom!" Lee shouted.

"I'm just teasing" Sela said, climbing into the wagon.

With everyone else back in the wagon, Gansu climbed onto the front and grabbed the reins for the ostrich-horses. He used them to make the beasts move, pulling the wagon down the road. As the wagon moved down the road, Azula fell asleep.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile, Aang, Katara, and Pathik were sitting inside a dark cave beneath the Eastern Air Temple. Pathik led them there after using a stream as a metaphor to explain how chakras behave. The cave was the lowest spot on the mountain, reflecting the position of the first chakra in the body.

"There are seven chakras that go up the body" Pathik said. "Each pool of energy has a purpose, and can be blocked by a specific kind of emotional muck. Be warned, opening the chakras is an intense experience. Once you both begin this process, you cannot stop until all seven are open."

"Both?" Katara questioned. "I thought I was just going to watch."

"If you are going to approach The Face Stealer, you need to become the master of the body you possess" Pathik said. "Not only will opening the chakras provide balance between your mind and body, it will allow you to achieve a firebender's ultimate technique. _Lightning_."

"Lightning?" Aang and Katara said together.

"Yes, and it requires peace of mind and body, which you do not currently posses" Pathik said. "Now, are you both ready?"

"I'll do whatever it takes" Aang said.

"I'm ready" Katara said.

"First we will open the Earth Chakra, located at the base of the spine" Pathik said. "It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear. What are you most afraid of?"

Aang saw visions of old memories, the Blue Spirit's blades at his throat, watching Katara sinking into stone by earthbending, himself in the uncontrolled Avatar State, and finally the Fire Lord burning everything around him. "I'm afraid of losing everyone."

Katara saw herself fighting her friends. Killing them with fire and standing over the bodies. As the smoke cleared she saw a silhouette of the Fire Lord walk up to her, handing her the crown. "I'm afraid, that I'll become her."

"Your visions are not real" Pathik said. "You must surrender your fears. Let them flow down the creek."

Accepting Pathik's council, Aang and Katara let their fears go and the visions faded. With the visions gone, both of them felt safe from harm.

"You have opened your Earth chakras" Pathik said.

For the second chakra, Pathik took Katara and Aang to a secluded area behind a waterfall. Pathik sat with his back to a wall while Aang and Katara sat with their backs to the water. Katara found the noise of the flowing water soothing, and she was ready for the next task.

"Next is the Water Chakra" Pathik said. "This chakra deals with pleasure, and is blocked by guilt. Now look at all the guilt which burdens you so. What do you blame yourself for?"

"I ran away" Aang said, remembering how he left the Southern Air Temple all those years ago. Then he saw himself wreaking havoc at General Fong's base while in the Avatar State. "I hurt all those people."

At the same time, Katara remembered how she had driven Appa away while fighting Suki. "I scared Appa away" she said. "I couldn't get him back."

"Accept the reality that these things happened" Pathik said. "But do not let them cloud and poison your energy. If you are going to be positive influences on the world, you need to forgive yourself."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

When Azula awoke she found herself lying in the moving wagon. Immediately Azula saw Lee staring into her eyes, startling both of them when she opened hers. Lee backed away and hit a wall of the wagon, nearly hitting his head on it. Not caring about the little boy, Azula tried to ignore the pain in her back and sit up.

"Where am I?" Azula asked.

"Safe" Sela answered. She handed a canteen to Azula, and she immediately drank all of the water inside it.

"What's your name?" Lee asked.

Uncertain what to say, Azula hesitated. Both her real name and her body's name were a liability now, since her enemies would likely search for both. "I'm… Talia" she made up.

"Talia, how are you feeling?" Sela asked.

"Lousy" Azula said. Looking around she saw various tools and a few caged animals in the wagon, all various pig hybrids. "What's with all the vermin?"

"They're all we have left from our farm" Lee said. "It's the Fire Nation's fault, and that Zuko is the worst of them!"

_So he hates Zuko specifically? I like this kid _Azula thought. "Really? Tell me more."

"He scared off the bullies in our town" Sela explained. "We thought the army wouldn't bother with such a remote town, and that we didn't need those people. Just a week after they left the army arrived and destroyed the town."

Azula saw tears running down Sela's face, but didn't care about it. As far as she was concerned this remote town was insignificant like so many others before it. "So where are we headed? Ba Sing Se?"

"No" Lee said.

"My husband and I are just simple farmers. We'd never survive in a city" Sela said. "We're going as far south-east as we can. Hopefully distance from the army will keep us safe for a while."

_Not as long as you'd expect_ Azula thought. It was obvious these people didn't know about Sozin's Comet, and to Azula's knowledge its power was going to be used to overwhelm most of the Earth Kingdom forces. Even if remote corners of the continent weathered the assault they would fall under Fire Nation rule soon enough.

"Is there any place in particular?" Azula asked.

"We'll be stopping at a village not far from here to resupply" Sela said. "I'm not sure how long we'll be staying there."

"It's not just a village Mom" Lee said. "The Green Spirit lives there."

"Lee, now's not the time for rumors" Sela said.

"But she's real" Lee said. "They say she can heal the sick."

"They say a lot of things" Sela retorted. "Don't get your hopes up."

"How long until we get there?" Azula asked.

"A few hours" Sela answered. "You should get some rest before we arrive."

"That sounds like a good idea" Azula said and lied down on her stomach. In minutes Azula let sleep take her again.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

On a narrow path leading up the mountain, Pathik sat next to Aang and Katara. A fog had rolled in, limiting the view of the landscape below. This location was higher than the previous areas, reflecting how the next chakra was higher up in the body.

"Third is the Fire Chakra, located in the stomach" Pathik said. This chakra deals with willpower and is blocked by shame. What are you ashamed of? What are your biggest disappointments in yourself?"

Aang remembered his first attempts at firebending, and how he had burned Katara doing so. "I'm never going to firebend again, I can't."

"You will never find balance if you deny this part of your life" Pathik said. "You are the Avatar, and therefore, you are a firebender."

Meanwhile, Katara remembered how she had to fight the Kyoshi Warriors, and couldn't prevent most of them from being taken to a Fire Nation prison. "I betrayed our friends, I could only save Suki."

"It wasn't a total loss then" Pathik said. "We can only try to correct our mistakes."

"I'll try" Katara said.

"Very good" Pathik said. "You've opened your Fire Chakras."

For the next step, Pathik led them to a broken building further up the mountain. Inside were statues of various Air Nomads, and everyone sat in the center of the building. The interior was open to the wind blowing around the mountain, which reflected the name Air Chakra.

"The fourth chakra is in the heart" Pathik said. "It deals with love, and is blocked by grief. Lay all your grief out in front of you."

Immediately Aang saw a vision of his people in front of him. One by one they disappeared in puffs of smoke, leaving him all alone. At the same time, Katara saw her mother being killed in a raid on her home village, and she saw Yue giving up her life to restore the moon spirit.

"You have both felt a great loss" Pathik said. "But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The love of the Air Nomads and your family has not left this world. It is still inside you, and is reborn in new love."

Like two sides of the same coin, Aang and Katara both saw the day they first met. Katara was looking down at the boy in the iceberg, and Aang was looking up at the innocent girl that found him after a hundred years. So much had changed since then, and yet it didn't seem to matter at that moment.

"Very good, you have opened your Air Chakras" Pathik said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

"Careful now, don't strain yourself" Gansu said, helping Azula step out of the wagon.

They had just arrived in a little town called Tian, which was nestled between two forests and had a steep mountain behind it. A small stream flowed down the mountain and through Tian, which Gansu had stopped the wagon next to where it exited. Once on the ground Azula limped to the edge of the stream and knelt down next to the water.

"Take the bandage off" Azula ordered.

"What!" Sela shouted. "Why would you want that?"

Sighing, Azula wondered if she would have to explain everything. "I'm a waterbender, which means I have healing abilities" Azula explained.

"Alright, Lee don't you even think about looking" Sela said. She waited for Gansu to cover Lee's eyes and turn away before removing Azula's shirt. Slowly removing the bandage on Azula's back Sela saw that it was slowly healing. "There, it's off" Sela said when she was finished.

"Good" Azula said. She bended some water from the stream and moved it behind her back. Slowly she pressed it against the burn, feeling pain from the cold. When she started healing the burn the pain increased, quickly draining her energy. The pain was too much and Azula lost her concentration, stopping the healing process after only half a minute and nearly losing consciousness.

Noticing Azula almost pass out, Sela caught Azula in her arms. Looking at the burn Sela noticed that only the edges had healed, and the rest of it was only barely affected. "Talia, I think this is too much to heal yourself" Sela stated.

"It's the only way" Azula said. "I have to try again."

"No, you're going to hurt yourself doing that" Sela said. "You need rest."

"Fine" Azula said. She let Sela apply a fresh bandage on the burn and then put her shirt back on.

"Are you two done yet?" Lee asked, his eyes still covered by Gansu's hands.

"Yes you can look now" Sela said.

"That's not what Lee meant" Gansu said, looking away from them. "We have company."

Standing up and looking around, Azula spotted a woman in brown robes standing between them and the town. Not a single bit of skin was exposed, her hair was hidden by a hood, and her face was covered by a green oni mask.

"It's the Green Spirit" Lee said. "Told you she was real."

"She must have seen us arrive" Azula guessed. "Do you know who we are?"

The Green Spirit said nothing, but pointed a gloved finger at Azula. Then she turned around and walked into Tain, gesturing for Azula to follow. Curious, Azula complied while allowing Sela to help keep her upright. They followed the Green Spirit to a small house near the forest, and Azula followed the stranger inside alone.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Inside a large room, Pathik, Aang, and Katara sat at the base of a large statue of a female Air Nomad. Inside the room there was a small echo to everything said inside, which was annoying at first but easy to ignore.

"Fifth in the chain is the Sound Chakra" Pathik said. "It deals with truth and is blocked by lies, the lies we tell ourselves."

"_Why didn't you tell us you were the Avatar?" _Aang remembered Katara asking long ago. "Because I never wanted to be" Aang said aloud.

_I can't do this, I can't be her _Katara thought. "I'm sick of pretending to be that monster" Katara said.

"You cannot lie about your own natures" Pathik said. "We are what we are, and we must accept that."

Aang had a brief vision of when he accepted his role in the world back at the North Pole. Katara remembered how she had been able to fool Azula's closest friends into believing the charade. Both of them felt that they could continue with the hand that fate had dealt them.

"Very good, you have opened your chakras of truth" Pathik said.

Next Pathik led them onto another path going up the mountain. They stopped near the top and sat down on different steps. From there they could see the peaks of smaller mountains nearby. Being almost at the top of the mountain reflected how the next chakra was near the top of the body.

"The sixth pool of energy is the Light Chakra, located in the center of the forehead" Pathik said. "It deals with insight, and is blocked by illusion. The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation. Things you think are separate and different are actually one and the same."

"Like the four nations?" Aang asked.

"Yes. We are all one people, but we live as if divided" Pathik said.

"We're all connected. Everything is connected" Aang said.

"That's right" Pathik said. "Even the separation of the four elements is an illusion. If you open your mind, you will see that all the elements are one."

"Is that how I've been able to firebend so easily?" Katara asked. "Is it because I was a good waterbender?"

"Indeed" Pathik said. "Both fire and water are parts of the same whole, along with air and earth. Even metal is just a refined part of earth, and wood is filled with water. There is no hard line between one element and another."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Inside the small house in Tian, Azula observed the interior. Most of the room was bare, only a bed, a desk, a fireplace, and a few chairs inside. The few windows the room had were being covered by curtains drawn by the Green Spirit, obviously desiring privacy.

"Who are you?" Azula asked.

The Green Spirit said nothing, which made Azula wonder if she was a mute. She gestured for Azula to lay down on the bed. Azula didn't comply, wanting an answer to her question. In response the Green Spirit walked to the desk in the room and took a short scroll from a drawer. She quickly wrote on the scroll and handed it to Azula.

_I saw you trying to heal yourself. I want to help._ Azula read from the scroll. "Are you a waterbender?" Azula asked.

The Green Spirit shook her head, then gestured for Azula to lay down again. This time Azula complied, laying face down on the bed. She let the Green Spirit remove the bandage on her back, leaving it bare for the moment. Azula wasn't certain what the Green Spirit was going to do, but if it would heal her back then it was worth the risk.

Taking a moment to observe the burn, the Green Spirit noted that it would likely heal naturally over a week. She walked to another room to get a glass of water, then slowly poured it over the burn. Azula felt the cold sting, but refused to show it. To Azula's surprise the Green Spirit gently placed a bare hand on the burn, and the cold slowly vanished.

_What is she doing? _Azula wondered, unable to see what was going on. The pain in the burn slowly lessened and disappeared, displaced by a strangely pleasing sensation. It felt nice, pain replaced by pleasure, the cold giving way to warmth. _Wait a minute, warmth? _Azula thought. Thinking about it, she realized that there was only one explanation for what the Green Spirit was doing.

"You're a firebender!" Azula accused.

Surprised by the accusation, the Green Spirit pulled her hand away and stepped back. The pain in Azula's back returned, but at a fraction of the intensity. Azula stood up, covering her chest with one arm, preparing to use the other to waterbend if necessary. But instead of attacking to maintain her secret, the Green Spirit put her hands up to her mask, and started to remove it.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back at the Eastern Air Temple, Pathik led Aang and Katara to the very top of the temple. The view from there stretched out for miles in every direction, and Katara was disappointed to have just missed it at sunset. They had reached the top at nightfall, and could see all the stars in the sky.

"This is the last chakra, isn't it?" Aang asked.

"Yes. Once you open this chakra you will be able to go in and out of the Avatar State at will, and when you are in the Avatar State you will have control and awareness of all your actions" Pathik said.

"And I'll be able to shoot lightning?" Katara asked.

"Indeed, though I'd be careful when doing so" Pathik warned.

Aang and Katara looked into each other's eyes, and they knew each other were ready. "Let's do this" they said together.

"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head" Pathik said. "It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world."

To Aang, his attachment was his feelings for Katara. How she had always been there for him until Ba Sing Se, and even after the switch she had remained loyal. To Katara, her attachment was her goal of retrieving her natural body. It was part of the reason she was opening her chakras in the first place.

"Now let all of those attachments go" Pathik said. "Let them flow down the creek, forgotten."

"What!" Katara shouted. "Why would I give up trying to reclaim my body? Why should I just give that up?"

"You must learn to let go" Pathik said. "Attachments cloud your judgment, preventing you from seeing the bigger picture."

"But do we have to just ignore them?" Aang asked. "Forever?"

"Not forever" Pathik said. "The point is to put the needs of the world ahead of your own. Your feelings can remain, but do not let them dictate your actions."

"Okay, I'll try" Aang said.

When Aang let go of his attachments, he had a vision of being high above the Earth. He stood on a path of solid light, and at the other end was a giant version of himself, dark but glowing from the eyes and tattoos. Aang walked along the path, stopping when he was in between the hands of the giant. It surrounded him in a sphere of energy, and Aang could feel himself obtaining control of the Avatar State.

When Katara let go of her attachments, she had a vision of being back at the North Pole. Only it was split down the middle, the western half replacing ice with volcanic rock and the snow with metal. The western side was day with the sun in the sky, while the eastern side was night with the moon above. Katara walked along the division between Fire and Water, and as she walked up to the divided palace the scene around her blurred and mixed together. When she reached the palace, everything was meshed together in equal parts, the sky in twilight with both the sun and moon setting. As she entered the palace, lightning struck and the vision ended.

Coming back to reality, the first thing Katara noticed was Aang. He was in the Avatar State, but completely calm and looking at the glowing tattoos on his arm. Aang closed his eyes for a moment and the glow faded, and then he made it reappear and disappear at will.

"Excellent" Pathik said. "You have opened all of the chakras."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

While the Green Spirit slowly removed her mask, Azula quickly put her shirt back on. As the Green Spirit pulled the mask off her hood fell back as well. Azula didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't the woman's fair face or her black hair. Despite her hair being cut short and graying, or the few age lines in her face, there was no mistaking her. The amber eyes gave away her identity, as someone Azula never expected to see again.

_Mom?_ Azula wondered, barely stopping herself from saying it aloud.

"What gave me away?" Ursa asked. She had no idea that she was talking to her own daughter.

_It's really you _Azula thought when she heard Ursa's voice. "I… uh… it was your firebending."

"You're the first person to come here and recognize that technique as firebending" Ursa said. With a short laugh she said "Everyone else assumed I was a waterbender."

"Well heat therapy is a guarded secret of the Fire Nation, no earth peasant would know about it" Azula said.

"And how would a water tribe girl know about it?" Ursa asked.

"It's complicated" Azula admitted. Part of her wanted to explain everything, but another part still hated Ursa for leaving all those years ago. "And I have genuine waterbending, and that kind of healing has a different feeling when used."

"I wouldn't know" Ursa admitted. "I suppose you're going to expose me now?"

"No" Azula said. "I still need this burn healed, and that won't happen if this town kicks you out."

"Very well, it shouldn't take much longer" Ursa said.

Azula laid back on the bed, and Ursa resumed her work on the burn. Using firebending to move heat and energy into the body accelerated its natural healing process. Combined with Azula's healing power the burn quickly faded away, leaving only a light scar behind. When Ursa was finished, Azula felt whole again and back to her full strength.

"Thank you" Azula said, noting how strange it was to genuinely say it for once.

"You should stay for the night" Ursa suggested. "There's nowhere to go at this hour."

"I need to be moving on" Azula said. "There are people after me and I can't let them catch up."

Suddenly someone was pounding on the front door, obviously begging to get inside. Ursa quickly raised her hood and put her mask back on while Azula walked up to the door. Once Ursa was ready Azula opened the door, and was surprised to find Lee.

"He's here!" Lee shouted. "He's going to kill us all!"

"Slow down, _who's_ here?" Azula asked.

"Zuko!"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back at the Eastern Air Temple, Katara wanted to try shooting lightning. While Pathik was no bender, he had studied the styles of the different disciplines over his long life. He showed Katara the movements for generating lightning, explaining how it worked at the same time. After practicing with the movements, Katara felt that she was ready to do it for real.

"Remember, once you create the lightning, you do not control it. You are merely its humble guide" Pathik said.

"Okay" Katara said. She started moving her arms in the circular motions, separating the positive and negative energies at the same time. The raw power built up around her, electricity crackling at her fingertips. When it felt like she had enough power, Katara pointed one arm forward, and fired lightning into the distance. The lightning struck a nearby mountain, and thunder could be heard for miles.

"That was amazing!" Aang shouted. "And on the first try too!"

"Excellent" Pathik said. "Now be careful where you use lightning. It can be unpredictable at times, especially when there's a lot of metal nearby."

"I'll keep that in mind" Katara said.

"Can I try it now?" Aang asked.

"You should learn some firebending first" Pathik suggested. "You could hurt yourself with lightning without that experience."

"Right" Aang said. "So Katara, are you going to teach me firebending?"

"Aang, I've been making it up as I go along" Katara said. "I think you need someone that was actually taught properly to learn from."

"I guess I'll have to learn from Zuko" Aang said. "I can't believe I actually said that."

"Yea" Katara agreed. Turning to Pathik, she bowed to him. "Thanks for everything."

"It was an honor to assist you both on your journey" Pathik said.

Aang took his bison whistle out of his pocket and blew it. Within minutes Appa arrived, well rested after being lazy since the arrival at the temple. "If we hurry we could get back to your dad by tomorrow night" Aang said.

Together Aang and Katara climbed onto Appa, who took off into the night sky. Pathik watched them leave, glad that he finally completed the role destiny had given him. Once they were gone, Pathik couldn't help but notice something nagging at him. Then he realized what it was.

"What do I do with my life now?" Pathik muttered.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In Tian's central square, Zuko, Sokka, and Suki were on their ostrich-horses. Zuko was lighting up the area with a flame in his hand. There were dozens of villagers in the square, terrified of Zuko but not enough to take up arms against him. Sokka had wanted to use a different approach to finding Azula in the village, but Zuko had overruled him by pointing out that they wouldn't have found Tian without his tracking skills.

"Now that I have your attention, we're looking for someone in this village. Water Tribe, teenaged, looks similar to him" Zuko announced, gesturing towards Sokka. "She'll have been injured, possibly sick by now."

"There's no one here like that" Gansu lied, trying to stay between Sela and Zuko. "You should leave, _now_."

"Not until we find her" Zuko said. "This village is the only one close enough for her to reach safely. You can't hide her."

While Zuko tried to force the villagers to reveal Azula, she was listening in from behind a low wall nearby. She had left Lee behind with Ursa in that house, and left it to find out if Zuko was certain that she was here. While listening to Zuko's demands, Azula debated whether or not it was worth it to confront Zuko here.

"Get out of our village firebender!" a villager demanded.

"The Fire Nation isn't welcome here!" a woman yelled.

Suki made her ostridge-horse walk up to Zuko's stopping alongside it. "This is going to get ugly" Suki said.

"I told you we should have been stealthy" Sokka complained.

"There's no time for that" Zuko argued.

"There's also no time for us to fight off a mob" Sokka said.

The last complaint gave Azula an idea. Trying to make her voice as deep as possible, she yelled "GET THEM!" towards the villagers. Like a misplaced barrel of blasting jelly, the crowd exploded into violence. The villagers grabbed whatever weapons they could find, everything from rocks on the ground to sharp tools to the occasional torch and pitchfork.

Before the mob could strike Zuko created a wall of fire in front of him. The villagers started throwing rocks through the flames, pelting Zuko and the others with them. The ostrich-horses were spooked by the attacks, barely kept under control by their riders.

"We should get out of here before this gets any worse" Suki suggested.

"Yea Zuko, the direct approach isn't working" Sokka said.

_Uncle always said I never think things through _Zuko thought. "Fine, we'll go back to the camp and wait for Aang to get back. Maybe these people will listen to the Avatar instead."

Peering over the low wall, Azula watched Zuko extinguish the flames. She watched Zuko leave with the others, and the crowd cheered when it appeared that they had won against the Fire Nation. _Who knew it was this easy to make peasants fight for you? _Azula wondered. Satisfied with how this night played out, Azula walked back to Ursa's house to plan her next move.

_A/N: Everyone that saw Ursa coming before the reveal, raise your hand. Is that everybody? Probably. Anyway, as you can see I subscribe to the "Ursa's hiding in the Earth Kingdom" theory.  
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	10. Returns and Reminders

_A/N: Sorry for the delay. Real Life hit me hard these last few weeks. Hopefully this is worth the wait._

Chapter 10: Returns and Reminders

After spending two days traveling on Appa, Aang and Katara returned to Chameleon Bay. They barely recognized it, since Toph had earthbended several rows of walls around the Water Tribe camp. She had also created a roof for the camp, using her recently acquired metalbending to shape it out of scrap metal. The sand on the beach had been bended into sandstone, removing the flaw in Toph's earthsense on loose materials.

Appa landed directly on the metal roof, slightly denting it under all six of Appa's feet. Everyone inside heard the landing and saw the dents, immediately determining that Aang was back. Katara saw several slits in the metal to let sunlight in, and spotted one of them being widened with bending. When the hole was big enough Toph pulled herself up and through it, and then stood on the metal.

"About time you two got back" Toph complained.

Jumping off Appa, Aang landed next to Toph. "Miss us?" he asked.

"A little" Toph said. "Anyway, Sokka wants to plan stuff."

"He always wants to plan stuff" Katara said.

All three of them jumped through the hole Toph had made in the roof, landing on the sandstone below. Several torches were lit inside to supplement the limited sunlight that came in through the slits in the roof. The tents were still set up inside, being used as individual rooms rather than shelter now. Toph led the way to Hakoda's tent.

Once inside the tent, Katara saw Hakoda, Sokka, Suki, and Zuko standing around a map on a table. "Did anything interesting happen while we were gone?" Aang asked.

"Azula escaped" Zuko stated.

"What! How?" Katara asked.

"She got up and walked away in the middle of the night" Suki explained.

"Then we have to go after her" Katara said.

"We tried, but Zuko screwed up" Sokka said.

"How many times do I have to apologize for that?" Zuko asked.

"A lot" Sokka said. "Anyway, we need to decide what our next move is."

"Shouldn't we go after Azula now that Aang's mastered the Avatar State?" Katara asked. "He's kind of unstoppable now."

"Yeah" Aang said, making his tattoos and eyes glow, then making them flash on and off repeatedly.

"Stop that!" Sokka yelled, and Aang complied.

"You gave me a headache" Suki complained, placing her fingers at her temples.

"Sorry" Aang said.

"Anyway, we have other problems than Azula right now" Sokka said.

"Which would be…?" Katara said.

"We're running out of time" Hakoda said. "It's going to take at least a month to get everything in position for the solar eclipse. We don't have time to chase down Azula."

"But if we don't go after Azula she'll ruin everything" Katara said. "She knows about the invasion and can tell the Fire Nation when we're coming."

"That's why we won't rely on the invasion plan" Sokka said.

"Come again?" Aang asked.

"I say we let Azula tip off the Fire Nation" Sokka said. "While my dad and the others keep the army busy, we can use a different plan to bring down the Fire Lord."

"What crazy scheme do you have this time?" Katara asked.

"We let Zuko 'capture' Aang, then he and Katara can let him out right before the eclipse starts" Sokka said. "While the Fire Lord is focusing on the invasion Aang can glow it up and take him out from behind."

"You still want me to keep up this stupid charade as Azula?" Katara asked.

"Well if Zuko were to capture Aang and you don't show up, the plan falls apart" Sokka said. "I know you don't like it, but it's the best I got."

"Does everyone else agree with Sokka?" Katara asked. She saw Zuko, Suki, Toph, and Hakoda nod. "Fine, let's just get it over with"

"There's just one problem" Zuko said. "Azula's mission was to bring in my uncle, and he's still in Ba Sing Se. We'd also need to find Ty Lee and Mai, since Azula wouldn't return to the Fire Nation without them."

"Who are currently prisoners of Long Feng" Katara said. "Great, so it's back to Ba Sing Se. And let me guess, I'll have to do this on my own?"

"No, I'm coming along" Toph said. "You'll need an earthbender just to get inside Ba Sing Se."

"But won't that give Katara away?" Suki asked.

"Maybe, if I actually met those two girls up close" Toph said. "Seriously, have I _ever_ met them face to face?"

"What about the time Appa was shedding and they followed us to that one mountain?" Sokka asked.

"Wasn't it night? They wouldn't have seen me clearly" Toph said.

"We saw them again when they tried drilling into Ba Sing Se" Aang said.

"Which I stayed outside of the entire time" Toph said. "I didn't even know they were there until you guys told me about it later."

"Then we were in Ba Sing Se… where we never saw those two at all" Sokka said. Thinking it over, Sokka realized that Toph had a point. "Okay so Toph goes with Katara to rescue two of the dangerous ladies and Angry Jerk's uncle."

"Stop calling me that" Zuko complained.

"What will the rest of us do while Katara and Toph are in Ba Sing Se?" Suki asked.

"Zuko needs to teach me firebending" Aang said.

"While you two do that, the rest of us will pack up camp so we can head for the Fire Nation" Sokka said. "Katara can 'chase' us part of the way there, giving Aang more time to learn firebending."

"Okay then, let's get started" Katara said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Outside Tian, Azula watched Lee and his family leave. Lee had wanted Azula to go with them, desperate for a friend to fill the void left by his older brother. While she had refused to travel with them, Azula agreed to see them off.

While Gansu and Sela packed the last of their new supplies onto the wagon. They had to trade a few of their farm animals, but got enough supplies to last until they could reach one of the backwater towns in the southeastern Earth Kingdom. After loading the last thing small enough for him, Lee ran over to Azula.

"Please come with us" Lee asked, trying to make his face look as sad as possible.

"I can't" Azula said, ignoring Lee's attempt to guilt her into coming along. "My path is the other way."

"Oh fine" Lee said. "I'll miss you."

Suddenly Lee threw his arms around Azula's legs, catching her by surprise. _Okay, this is awkward_ Azula thought. She rubbed Lee's hair, trying to make him let go without resorting to hurting him. "Don't make your parents wait."

"Okay, goodbye" Lee said as he let go of Azula. She watched Lee climb into the wagon. Gansu pulled on the reins for the ostrich-horses, making them pull the wagon down the road.

Once the wagon was out of sight, Azula walked back into Tian. She walked straight for Ursa's house, ignoring everyone around her. Aside from a random merchant having his produce destroyed, there was nothing going on that caught Azula's attention. Ursa was the only reason Azula was still in Tian at all.

Inside the house, Azula didn't see Ursa in the front room. The door to the next room was open and a lamp was lit inside, letting Azula know Ursa was still there. Azula quietly walked over to the door, eavesdropping on her mother. Peering through the doorway, Azula saw Ursa turned away. Ursa was holding something that Azula couldn't see, and was slowly crying.

"What's wrong mo…" Azula asked, barely stopping herself from saying mom.

Startled, Ursa quickly shoved what she was holding into a desk drawer and locked it. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she turned towards Azula. "Something personal" Ursa answered. "I thought you'd have left by now."

"I need to decide where to go next before I leave" Azula said. "Zuko is still after my head."

"Yes, Zuko" Ursa said. "Do you know him?"

_All too well… _Azula thought. "I know he'll come after me sooner or later, and I need to figure out where to go before he does."

"I've heard rumors about him" Ursa said. "They say his face is horribly scarred."

"That part is true, though only with part of his face" Azula said.

"I see…" Ursa said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone." Ursa put her green oni mask on and walked out of the house, leaving Azula alone.

Curious, Azula walked over to the desk in the room. She tried to open the drawer, but found it locked. To get around that problem, she bent a large drop of water from a waterskin and forced it into the lock. Carefully freezing the water into ice, Azula made her own key that fit the lock. Unlocking the drawer, Azula opened it to see what Ursa had put in it.

Inside was a small painting in a frame, which was a copy of a much larger original. In it was the Fire Nation royal family, from ten years ago. The old Fire Lord Azulon was in the back with Iroh, Ozai, and Ursa sitting in front of him. Kneeling in front of Iroh was a teenaged Lu Ten, who Azula barely knew. Sitting on Ozai's lap was a six year old Zuko, and Ursa was holding a four year old Azula in her arms.

The painting brought back old memories Azula had, of when her family could actually be considered normal. At the time she had hated staying still for hours to let the original painting be made, wanting to play on the beach of Ember Island. Things had been so simple back then, before Iroh and Lu Ten went off to siege Ba Sing Se and everything else went to hell.

_She still cares about us _Azula thought, bringing a tear to her eye. If Ursa had been caught with the painting it would have exposed her as Fire Nation, and likely would have gotten her killed by the locals. It was a big risk to take for a keepsake, but it was clear that Ursa didn't want to forget about her family.

Azula put the painting away, making certain it was exactly as she found it. She relocked the drawer and extinguished the lamp in the room. Walking out of the house, Azula looked around for Ursa, wondering where she had gone to. Ursa couldn't have gone far, and Azula was certain she could catch up with her.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

It didn't take long for Katara and Toph to reach Ba Sing Se. Toph was able to earthbend the ground into a speeding mound of dirt, which was just as fast as Appa could fly. Getting through the wall had been easy as well, with Toph earthbending a tunnel through it. The soldiers patrolling the wall had never known they were even there.

Once inside the Outer Wall, Toph brought Katara to a lake between the Outer and Inner Walls. Along the way Toph explained how the Dai Li had a hidden base underneath it. It was on the way to the Inner Wall, and Toph figured they might as well check it out first.

"So where's this hidden base?" Katara asked when they arrived at Lake Laogai.

"Close" Toph said, walking along the edge of the water. Heading for where she knew the entrance was, she stopped when she felt a change in the vibrations. The entrance had been moved away from the spot Toph remembered, but she could still fell its vibrations coming from further down the beach.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked.

"For anyone else, yes" Toph said. "The Dai Li moved the entrance, but didn't account for the way I see."

Taking a few minutes to walk down the beach, they reached the entrance. With earthbending Toph created a stone pier with a hatch at the end. Katara opened the hatch and climbed down the ladder inside, with Toph right behind her. Once Toph set foot on the floor inside the base, Katara could see a look of surprise on her face.

"It's all different" Toph said.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked. Looking around she saw three wide corridors branching away from the ladder, all brightly lit by green crystals on the ceiling.

"They completely rebuilt this place" Toph explained. "This may take a while to search."

"Then we better get started" Katara said. She picked a direction and walked down it with Toph.

Every five minutes a Dai Li agent came down the corridor on patrol. Toph was able to sense the agents coming, and earthbended hiding places in the walls, literally disappearing into them. Avoiding the agents slowed them down, but in half an hour of searching they found a metal door that appeared to be the entrance to the prison.

"Okay Toph, do your thing" Katara said.

Placing her hands on the metal door, Toph crushed it with metalbending and threw the twisted metal into the prison. A pair of Dai Li agents were on the other side, caught unprepared for an attack. Before the agents could respond Katara threw two blue fireblasts at them, one for each agent and took them down immediately.

With the prison secure, Katara looked around. There were a dozen prison cells and storage lockers lining the walls. Each cell had a tiny barred window for the guards to keep an eye on the prisoners. Looking through each cell's window, Katara found most of them empty. Only one cell had a prisoner inside it, who was asleep.

"Over here" Katara said. Toph walked over and metalbended the door open, letting Katara enter it. Katara walked up to the prisoner, finding that it was Ty Lee. Kneeling beside her, Katara gently shook her to wake her up.

Ty Lee's eyes opened, and she looked at Katara. Immediately she threw her arms around Katara and cried into her shoulder. "You came back!" Ty Lee cried out. "You're Alive!"

"Are you alright?" Katara asked.

"They tried to make me give them my chi blocking skills" Ty Lee said, wiping away her tears. "I didn't let them break me, just like you would."

"I'm glad" Katara said. "Do you have any idea where Mai is?"

Ty Lee shook her head. "They kept us separated from each other and your uncle."

"I'd hate to interrupt, but we have to move!" Toph shouted.

"Right" Katara said. Helping Ty Lee stand, she asked "Can you walk?"

"I think so" Ty Lee said, stretching her arms and legs. "Who's the new girl? She seems kind of familiar."

"We'll do the introductions later" Katara said. "Mai's waiting for us."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back in Tian, it didn't take long for Azula to find Ursa's trail. A merchant bemoaning his lot in life had seen her walking towards the forest and Azula found a path going through it. The path led deep into the woods, and narrowed as it led through a large outcropping of rock. On the other side was a meadow, hidden on the ground but still exposed to the sky.

Inside the meadow was Ursa, not wearing her mask. She was practicing her firebending, trying to keep her fire close to the ground but not close enough to ignite the grass. Azula watched Ursa practice from the entrance to the meadow, wishing that she could still do the same. After a few minutes of watching, Azula saw Ursa stop practicing.

"That's a big risk you're taking" Azula said while walking into the meadow. "Firebending around here."

"I've got to keep my skills sharp somehow" Ursa said. "If I'm ever discovered I'll need them."

"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst" Azula said. "It's something my mother would have said."

"Then I think we'd have gotten along well" Ursa noted. "I tried to teach my children that."

"Do you want to talk about them?" Azula asked.

"I don't want to bore you" Ursa said.

"I have time" Azula said.

Sighing, Ursa sat down on the grass, and Azula sat down in front of her. "I didn't want to leave my children behind, but I didn't have a choice."

"What happened?" Azula asked, wondering how things happened from Ursa's perspective.

"My father in law asked my husband to do the unthinkable" Ursa said. "At first I thought it was just a test, and that the old man never expected my husband to go through with it."

Even though Ursa was avoiding the details, Azula could tell that she was referring to the night Ursa disappeared. Azula remembered eavesdropping on Azulon's order for Ozai to kill Zuko. She remembered tormenting Zuko about it, preparing to celebrate becoming an only child.

"What did you do about it?" Azula asked. This was the part she didn't get to see happen.

"I stopped my husband, and his father" Ursa answered. "I had to kill the old man."

_So it was true _Azula thought. She had long suspected that Ursa had to be the person that got rid of Azulon. She knew the old Fire Lord would have anticipated any assassination attempts coming from Ozai, but not from gentle Ursa.

"Were you caught?" Azula asked.

"My husband knew what I did" Ursa said. "The law would have had me executed for my crime, but he covered it up. Instead I was banished, condemned to wander the world away from home."

"You're not the only one banished from the Fire Nation" Azula said. "Prince Zuko's been banished for three years now."

"Yes, and he's nearly turned the world upside down on his quest" Ursa said.

"Why didn't you seek him out, having similar fates?" Azula asked.

"I can't" Ursa said, tears running down her face. "I can't face him yet. Not after what I've done."

_That must be why she wears the mask, in case Zuko ever stumbled across her by accident _Azula thought. "He misses you" she said. "Both of your kids do."

"Wait a minute, I never told you Zuko is my son" Ursa said.

"You didn't have to" Azula said. "Mom."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After getting Ty Lee out of the cell, Toph threw the two unconscious Dai Li into it and metalbended the cell shut. But before the three girls could leave the prison, an alarm was sounded throughout the base. Immediately Toph felt the vibrations of several dozen agents marching through the base, and everyone prepared for a fight.

"Here they come" Toph alerted the others.

Katara and Ty Lee watched the door, waiting for the Dai Li to arrive. They could hear the agents coming towards the entrance… and run past it.

"Hey, where are they going?" Toph muttered.

"Maybe you're just lucky today?" Ty Lee wondered.

"I don't think so" Katara said. "We better see what's going on."

Following the Dai Li deeper into the base, it became clear that something else had triggered the alarm. After several twists and turns they found a section heavily damaged. The walls and floor had been broken apart by earthbending, leaving pieces of rock everywhere. Nearly a dozen agents were lying unconscious, abandoned by the others that had run by.

"Okay what is…" Katara started saying when the ground shook for a second.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me" Toph complained. She took off down the corridor, Katara and Ty Lee trying to keep up. Taking another left turn they found several Dai Li fighting three earthbenders, two of which Toph recognized.

"The Boulder could use some assistance!" he shouted, barely holding off three agents on his own. Immediately he was helped by another earthbender, one with a lot more fat and a lot less hair.

"Hippo gladly oblige!" he said, throwing several chunks of rock at the agents, taking them out of the fight.

The third earthbender was a woman, in her twenties with short brown hair. She was about to defeat another three agents, but was interrupted by Toph attacking them first and burying them in rock. "Hey, those were mine!" she shouted.

"Got to be quicker than that" Toph said, getting the attention of the other earthbenders.

"Hippo happy to see Blind Bandit" he said.

"You guys here for a rematch?" Toph asked.

"Negatory, The Boulder and The Hippo no longer fight for others' entertainment" he answered. "Today we fight for our Kingdom!"

"Sweet" Toph said.

"Um, why are you here then?" Katara asked.

"The Usurper has our King imprisoned here" the woman stated. "We're here to free him."

"And who would you be?" Toph asked. "You were never at Earth Rumble Six."

"You're looking at Ba Sing Se's earthbending champion, the Tectonic Titan."

"Never heard of you" Toph said.

Katara could see a fight about to break out between Toph and Titan, and interrupted to defuse the situation. "We need to get moving before more Dai Li arrive."

"Um, is there a reason you three just happened to be here when Azula arrived?" Ty Lee asked.

The Boulder just shrugged. "No idea, but The Boulder is willing to roll with this."

"Okay, so which way do you think the king is held?" Katara asked.

"Down here" Titan said. She led the way down another corridor and to another prison. When they arrived Titan was going to use a set of keys to unlock the door, when Toph metalbended it off its hinges.

"How in the world did you bend metal?" Titan asked.

"Oh I'm just awesome that way" Toph bragged, tossing the bent door off the side.

Toph, Katara, and The Boulder entered the prison, leaving Ty Lee, The Hippo, and the Tectonic Titan outside to guard the entrance. Like the first prison, most of the cells were empty, but two adjacent cells were occupied. Toph metalbended the doors off both cells at once, revealing King Kuei and Iroh.

"What took you so long?" Iroh asked.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

For nearly a minute, Ursa was speechless. Azula's confession didn't make any sense. Why would a stranger call her Mom? And yet, she could hear the sincerity in that simple statement. Then it clicked in her mind, this had to be her daughter.

"Azula? How?" Ursa asked.

"Somewhere, I think a spirit is having fun at my expense" Azula guessed. "I'm stuck in a waterbender's body, while she is in mine."

"Does Zuko know?" Ursa asked.

"Yes, and it's why he's after me" Azula said.

"Of course, sibling rivalry" Ursa said. "Are you… angry at me? For what I did?"

"I really don't know anymore" Azula said. "I used to think you hated me. That you thought I was a monster."

"I love you Azula, I always have" Ursa said. "But I was worried you would turn out like your father."

"And you pretty much confirmed that when you left us" Azula said.

"I'm sorry, for everything" Ursa said.

"You could have made it look like an accident, you didn't have to leave us!" Azula shouted.

"Of all people, you should know that wouldn't have worked in our family" Ursa said. "Someone had to take the fall."

"And you volunteered for Zuko's sake" Azula said. "You always favored him more than me."

"You didn't need special attention" Ursa said. "Your father neglected Zuko, resenting his father's preference for the first born. He favored you over Zuko, seeing an aspect of his past that he always wanted to change."

"Not anymore, I doubt he'd even look at me now" Azula said. "To him I'm just some filthy waterbending peasant, and he'd never accept that for a daughter."

"You don't know that" Ursa said.

"Yes I do" Azula said, standing up in front of Ursa. "He'd sooner believe my imposter than accept a waterbender." Then she turned and walked away from Ursa.

"Wait" Ursa said, standing up to follow Azula.

"I don't want to hear it" Azula said. "I'm leaving, whether you like it or not."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After a brief explanation to King Kuei, The Boulder helped him out of his cell. Toph watched the earthbenders and Ty Lee, standing in between them and Katara next to Iroh. They had to quickly explain the plan to Iroh, before Ty Lee could overhear and get suspicious.

"Once we're out of here you need to get to Zuko" Katara whispered. "Travel with him and Aang towards the Fire Nation. Somewhere along the way I'll 'catch' you, and bring us to the capital."

"And when the eclipse comes we'll break out and defeat my brother" Iroh whispered back.

"You know about that?" Katara asked.

"I overheard the guards talking about it" Iroh answered.

"What's taking so long in there?" The Hippo asked.

"Coming!" Katara shouted. She walked with Iroh out of the cell and rejoined the others outside the prison.

"The Boulder believes it is time to roll out of here!" he shouted.

"I'm not leaving without Bosco" Kuei stated.

"We don't have time to find your bear" Toph said.

"If we see it, we'll bring it. If not, then we leave without it" Katara compromised. "We still need to find Mai."

"There should be another prison further down the hallway" Iroh said. "They moved us around a lot here during the reconstruction of this base."

"Okay, we'll head there next" Katara said. "Toph, go with Iroh and the others and keep the Dai Li off our tail."

"Got it" Toph said.

"Come on Ty Lee" Katara said.

The two girls ran through the base while Toph and the others went the other way. Toph's group caused merry havoc on their way, drawing the Dai Li's attention and allowing Katara and Ty Lee to move unnoticed.

It only took ten minutes to reach the next prison area. Katara used a focused blue fireblast to melt through the door's hinges, and then kicked in the door. A single Dai Li agent was on the other side, immediately raising his hands in surrender. Taking no chances, Ty Lee immediately struck his pressure points and paralyzed the agent.

"Mai, are you in here?" Ty Lee asked.

"Shut up and open this stupid door" Mai said while hitting the door to her cell.

"Okay, step away from it. It's going to get a little hot in there" Katara said, preparing to melt through its hinges.

"Or we could just use these" Ty Lee said, pulling a set of keys off the paralyzed agent.

"That works too" Katara said, letting Ty Lee unlock the cell door.

"Finally something exciting happens around here" Mai said as she walked out of the cell.

"Well we better get going before more Dai Li decide to crash the party" Katara said.

"I need my gear" Mai said. Taking the keys from Ty Lee she walked over the lockers in the prison. Checking each of them one at a time, she found her knives and the launchers for them. Taking a few minutes to arm herself, Mai was ready to take on the Dai Li.

"Are we forgetting anything?" Katara asked.

"I don't think so" Ty Lee said.

"Good, let's get out of here" Katara ordered.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After leaving Ursa in that meadow, Azula returned to Tian and started packing for her journey. She found a stash of money in Ursa's house and used it to buy supplies. For food she bought mostly meat jerky and vegetables, stuff that didn't need to be cooked. Once Azula had everything she needed, she witnessed an amusing accident involving a merchant's produce being destroyed… again.

Azula wasn't certain exactly what she was going to do next. For once in her life there was no plan, no grand scheme manipulating others to do her work. Just head for the Fire Nation and find some way to warn the capital about the impending invasion on the solar eclipse. She could only trust herself, and use whatever came across her path.

Taking an ostrich-horse and loading it with as many supplies as it could hold, Azula rode it out of Tian. She rode west, not looking back at the town that gave her refuge like her mother before her. Thinking about the place brought up feelings Azula felt were better off buried in the past. So she pressed forward, trying to outrun everything.

As the sun started to set Azula made camp next to a small stream. It took her half an hour to make a fire with spark rocks and twigs, wondering how people could stomach doing it without firebending. Despite having useful waterbending for healing, it just didn't compare to the practical uses of fire.

_This is going to be a long journey _Azula thought while sitting next to her campfire. By herself it would take weeks to reach the western shore of the Earth Kingdom, and then she would have to find a boat to reach the Fire Nation. _One thing at a time._

When the last of the sun's rays vanished beneath the horizon, Azula heard something approaching from the east. Bending water from the stream, Azula prepared to defend herself. With a water whip ready to use, Azula watched an ostrich-horse and its rider appear in the light of the campfire. Looking at the rider, Azula saw the green oni mask on the face.

"What are you doing here?" Azula asked, putting the water away.

Ursa dismounted from the ostrich-horse and pulled the mask off her face. "I left my children once. I won't make that mistake again" Ursa said.

"You do realize that I'm going back to the Fire Nation?" Azula asked. "If you go there you'll be imprisoned for treason, if not executed immediately."

"Then I won't get caught" Ursa said.

"Everyone says that before it happens" Azula argued.

"Azula, you can't do this on your own" Ursa said. "I'm willing to accept the risk to help you."

"I don't need your help" Azula said.

"You're a good liar, but we both know better" Ursa said. "You need help. Let me be there for you, to make up for the years we've lost."

Before she could respond, Azula was interrupted by a strong breeze. The wind extinguished the campfire, leaving only embers for dim lighting. Looking at the embers, Azula realized that she simply couldn't afford to refuse her mother's help.

"Fine, Mom" Azula said. "We'll travel together."

Ursa nodded in agreement, and led her ostrich-horse over to Azula's. Then with a small fireblast she reignited Azula's campfire, providing light again.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

With Ty Lee and Mai freed and ready to escape Lake Laogai, Katara backtracked through the base to find the way out. It was easy to find the route that Toph and Iroh had taken with the earthbenders, visibly marked with rubble and unconscious agents wrapped in bent metal. Agents that were recovering in the debris let the three girls pass by, clearly unfit for a second fight.

"So who were your new friends?" Mai asked.

"Just some earthbenders I bumped into trying to find this place" Katara answered. "They should have the way cleared out by now."

"Good, I never want to see this place again" Mai said.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the exit of the base. It was clearly marked by a wide hole in the ceiling with moonlight shining onto piles of rubble beneath it. Steep steps had been bent from the wall next to the hole in the ceiling. Katara would have recognized the damage as Toph's work, except that the way was blocked by a single man. Long Feng.

"Princess Azula of the Fire Nation" Long Feng stated. "So you're the mastermind behind this breakout."

"Yes, and we're leaving" Katara said.

"I don't think so" Long Feng said. "No, you're going to be a very valuable bargaining chip with Fire Lord Ozai. Once you're in my custody I'll be able to force your father into a ceasefire in exchange for your safe return."

Katara couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of Long Feng's intentions. "Oh please, the Fire Lord wouldn't bother dealing with you. Besides, you're outnumbered and outmatched."

"Am I?" Long Feng said. Before continuing, a sinister smile spread across his face. "Mai, the Prime Minister has invited you to Lake Laogai."

"I am honored to accept his invitation" Mai coldly said, the pupils in her eyes dilating. Immediately she turned towards Katara and threw a knife at her. Katara just barely saw it in time to pull her head back, the knife coming close enough to cut a few strands of hair off her bangs.

"MAI!" Ty Lee screamed. "What's The Matter With You!"

Saying nothing in response, Mai instead threw two knives at Ty Lee. She ducked and the knives missed, hitting a wall behind Ty Lee. Unwilling to fight her friend, Ty Lee merely dodged when Mai threw more knives at her and Katara.

"Now what were you saying about me being outmatched?" Long Feng mocked.

Immediately Katara threw a blue fireblast at Long Feng, which be blocked by earthbending a stone wall in front of him. Before Katara could attack again she had to dodge another thrown knife from Mai. "Ty Lee, take them both down, we'll sort it out later" Katara ordered.

Overcoming her reluctance, Ty Lee moved into strike Mai's pressure points. But she couldn't land a hit, since Mai was able to block and deflect Ty Lee's hands. Keeping Mai occupied, Ty Lee was able to let Katara focus on fighting Long Feng.

Throwing one blue fireblast after another, Katara tried to hit Long Feng. He blocked with walls of earth thick enough to absorb the flames and heat, and would throw the heated rock at Katara. Dodging the earthbending, Katara wasn't able to break the stalemate. Being surrounded by earth and little room for firebending, Katara realized that Long Feng could simply wait until she was exhausted.

"You can't beat me here" Long Feng taunted. "Not with your friends fighting each other."

Taking a glance at Ty Lee and Mai, Katara could see that fight in deadlock as well. "Then I'll have to end this fight right now!" Katara yelled.

Instead of attacking with fire, Katara moved her arms in a circular motion. Long Feng didn't recognize the motions, and raised another earth wall to block more fire. Creating lightning, Katara fired it straight into the earth wall, exploding on contact. The earth wall was shattered in the blast, showering Long Feng with rubble. The pieces of earth bruised and battered Long Feng, and a hard rock to the head knocked him out.

With one opponent out of the fight, Katara turned to help Ty Lee. She ran up to Mai from behind and tackled her, bringing both of them to the ground. While Katara held Mai down, Ty Lee could safely hit the pressure points to paralyze Mai's limbs.

"Sorry Mai" Ty Lee said after hitting the last pressure point, still getting no response from her.

"Help me get her out of here" Katara ordered.

Each taking one arm over their shoulder, Katara and Ty Lee lifted Mai up. Dragging Mai over to the exit, they hauled her up steps and out of the base. Once outside Katara looked around for Toph, but she and the others were already gone. However, the unconscious bodies of more Dai Li agents nearby told Katara that she didn't have to worry about her friend.

_A/N: Anyone recognise the OC in this chapter? If yes, you're awesome. If no, you can be certain she won't be a Mary Sue. Simply because she won't be around often enough to take over the story._


	11. Playing Platypus Possum

_A/N: Clearly I walked right into the assumption that the OC from the last chapter was based on Terra from Teen Titans. Honestly, I was hoping someone would have recognized her from a previous story of mine, where I brought her in just to give Toph an opponent to beat up. It would seem that I hoped wrong.  
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_Oh well, live and learn._

Chapter 11: Playing Platypus Possum

When Mai returned to her senses, she was not a happy lady. From her perspective she went straight from standing underground and ready for a fight, to lying on the ground paralyzed beneath the night sky. She could still turn her head and could see the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se in the moonlight. Trying to move her limbs, Mai could feel the paralysis starting to wear off and could slightly move her fingers.

"Okay, who decided to have Ty Lee hit me?" Mai asked.

"You're back!" Ty Lee yelled, hurrying to her friend's side. "I was so worried!"

"Someone had better explain what is going on" Mai demanded.

"They did something to you down there" Katara answered. "They turned you against us, but it appears to have worn off."

"I don't remember a thing" Mai admitted.

"That's probably for the best" Ty Lee said.

"How long before I can move again?" Mai asked.

Ty Lee shrugged. "Ten minutes, give or take?"

"Good. Then we'll get some rest and then get out of here" Katara said.

"Sounds good to me" Mai said. "I'm sick of this stupid city."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile Toph got Iroh, King Kuei, and the earthbenders to Chameleon Bay. When they arrived they found the Water Tribe already packing their supplies onto a stolen Fire Nation ship, and would be ready to leave in a day. The warriors were surprised to see five strangers approach, but resumed their business when they saw Toph with them.

Toph walked straight for Hakoda's tent and entered it. "Mission accomplished, with interest" Toph said as the others entered behind her.

"Okay, where did the plan go wrong _this_ time?" Sokka asked, looking at the earthbenders with Kuei.

"The Boulder was in the middle of rescuing our king, when the Blind Bandit was rescuing the old man" he answered.

"Hey, we got in there first, you interrupted our rescue" Toph argued.

"It doesn't matter who interrupted who" Hakoda said. "We'd be grateful for any assistance you can offer, Mr. Boulder."

"Now that our king is safe, The Boulder will help in any way."

"Now who is the Earth King?" Hakoda asked, having never seen him before.

"That would be me" Kuei said, holding up a hand. "And I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer. I have no experience in fighting a war."

"Fair enough, just stay out of the way then" Hakoda said. He saw Kuei nod and walk out of the tent, followed by the three earthbenders that were loyal to him.

"Now then, how can an old man help?" Iroh asked.

"Aang and the Angry Jerk, no offense, are somewhere around here doing their firebending thing" Sokka answered. "I'm sure they could use a few lessons from you before we get out of here."

"And where are we going?" Iroh asked.

"Towards the Fire Nation, but how close we get to it before Katara catches up with us, I have no idea" Sokka said.

"I recommend we stop near somewhere between Omashu and the west coast" Iroh said. "That would be the easiest place to stage a capture by my nephew and Katara."

"Somewhere along the way we'll need to get in touch with her to coordinate this" Sokka said. "It's going to be tricky, but I think we can pull it off."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In the morning Azula awoke with a stiff left arm. Sleeping on the ground had been nearly intolerable for her, and trying to use her arm as a pillow had clearly been a mistake. Stretching her arm helped Azula feel better, and she made a mental note to avoid camping whenever possible. While staying at an inn would make her easier to find, the risk was worth it for a good night's sleep.

"Good morning" Ursa said. She was leaning next to a campfire with a pot over it. Having gotten up earlier, she was already started on making breakfast.

"What is that?" Azula asked. The smell coming from the pot was strange, but pleasant.

"It's pig-chicken" Ursa answered, stirring the meat in the pot. "A simple meal, good to keep your strength up."

"I suppose we could use that" Azula said, still stretching out her arm.

"Are you okay?" Ursa asked.

"Just not used to traveling like this" Azula answered. "I suppose you adapted to this over the years?"

"It wasn't easy" Ursa said, pouring some of the meat and broth into a bowl. "You'll learn, soon enough."

"I shouldn't have to" Azula complained, but still taking the bowl from Ursa. "We're royalty, we shouldn't have to act like peasants."

"Well we can't exactly afford a royal procession now" Ursa said, filling her own bowl. "Just think of this as a stealth mission."

"Stealth will only get us so far" Azula said, quickly eating her breakfast. "We should get moving."

"Yes, there's a lot of ground to cover" Ursa said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Traveling from Ba Sing Se to the nearest Fire Nation camp took two days. The hardest part had been finding the army, which was always on the move. For once Katara was actually glad to see the Fire Nation banners, using her appearance to obtain the best lodging available. Inside the camp Katara ignored everyone and simply slept through most of the next day, exhausted from traveling without supplies.

While getting ready for the day, Katara was interrupted by the arrival of two old women she had forgotten even existed. Lo and Li wanted to know what happened since Katara left weeks ago. Inside the tent, Katara tried to bend the truth enough to satisfy them.

"What did you accomplish" Li said.

"During your journey?" Lo asked.

"Short version, we went to Ba Sing Se and started a revolt against the Earth King" Katara explained. Technically accurate, since it was Azula who did that. "By the time they sort it out we'll be in position to use Sozin's Comet to take the city."

"An excellent strategy" Lo commented.

"Your father would approve" Li said.

"There's still the Avatar we need to deal with" Katara said, wanting to change the subject. "He's left Ba Sing Se and is heading west."

"Why would he leave the city" Li asked.

"And be vulnerable without its walls?" Lo asked.

"He needs a firebending teacher, he's not going to find one in there" Katara said.

"So where will" Lo said.

"The Avatar go?" Li asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Katara asked. When Li and Lo shook their heads Katara pinched her nose. "He's going to look for the traitor Iroh."

"Then we must find the Avatar" Li said.

"Before he masters the final element" Lo said.

"Excellent" Katara said. With a wave of her hand she said "Now organize a massive searching party. I want any sightings reported straight to me."

"Right away Azula" Lo said.

"We'll get started" Li said.

Once Li and Lo left the tent, Katara let out a sigh. _Well that was easy_ she thought.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile Appa flew west across the Earth Kingdom, carrying Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Zuko and Iroh. They didn't bother to hide their trail, wanting to make it as easy as possible for Katara to catch up with them. While the group traveled by air, the Water Tribe traveled by boat in the stolen Fire Nation ship, looking for anyone else that could help during the invasion. With any luck, the Water Tribe would slip by unnoticed while the Fire Nation focused their attention on the Avatar.

A week after leaving the Water Tribe behind, they made camp in the western Earth Kingdom. Aang spent every moment of his free time learning firebending from Iroh or practicing with Zuko. There was only so much time they had to get Aang ready before implementing Sokka's plan. In the current campsite, Sokka wanted to discuss possible options with Toph and Suki.

"Hey Toph, can you provide some cover please?" Sokka asked.

"Why?" Toph asked back.

"Just trust me" Sokka said. "We don't want anyone eavesdropping on this."

"Oh fine" Toph said. She stomped the ground, earthbending a thick dome around them, leaving a small hole in the top for air and dim light.

"What's so secret that we need a separate room to talk about it?" Suki asked.

"It's about our plan to deceive the Fire Nation" Sokka said. "Toph, how did those dangerous ladies react to you?"

"The one I met didn't seem to mind" Toph said. "What about it?"

"Well I was thinking you could pretend to be on their side when they find us" Sokka said.

"You're kidding right?" Suki asked. "Why would Toph fight against us?"

"It's the perfect setup to let Aang be captured without making it look too easy" Sokka explained. "Plus if you convince them you're on their side we could get the Greatest Earthbender in the World inside the Fire Nation alongside Katara and Zuko."

"Okay, I'm game" Toph said.

"What do I get to do?" Suki asked.

"You get to take Appa away when its showtime" Sokka said.

"And why is that?" Suki asked, glaring at Sokka.

"Someone needs to take care of Appa" Sokka said. "Plus the Fire Nation doesn't know you're with us. They wouldn't care if you aren't here."

"And what happens when they notice Appa's gone?" Suki asked.

"Well…" Sokka said, thinking about that for a moment. "He does seem to have a knack for disappearing when stuff happens, despite being a ten ton bison. They won't find it odd at all."

"And what am I supposed to do while you guys are in the Fire Nation?" Suki asked.

"We do need someone to head for the North Pole and get Katara some spirit water" Sokka said.

"I guess I could do that" Suki said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After nearly riding their ostrich-horses to death every day, Azula and Ursa made it across the Earth Kingdom. They wouldn't be able to take the beasts with them across the sea to the Fire Nation, so there was no point in keeping them healthy once they arrived. The bigger concerns to them were their supplies, which had dwindled faster than Azula had expected.

"How much do we have left?" Azula asked.

"Enough for four more meals, seven if we ration it" Ursa answered, looking at the small amount of food they had left.

"I thought we had more than that" Azula said.

"We wasted some of it when I tried to teach you how to cook" Ursa said.

"I only ruined one meal" Azula said.

"We'll need to resupply if we're going to make it to one of the colonies to find a ship" Ursa said. She unrolled a map and examined it. "There should be a village near here with a market."

"Alright, I'll go there while you look after the ostrich-horses" Azula said. She took the map and left.

Following the map, Azula found a trail leading into an Earth Kingdom village. Outside the village's walls she spotted an abandoned Fire Nation tank being vandalized by children. There were guards in front of the gates watching the children wreck the tank, silently approving. The guards let Azula into the village, viewing her as no threat to the people inside.

The village appeared to be thriving, filled with people talking and bartering with each other. Azula could see the occasional earthbender rebuilding a home or wall. It didn't make sense for an Earth Kingdom village to be doing so well so close to the Fire Nation army. Curious, Azula looked for someone that could explain the village's secret. Spotting a tall boy with long brown hair earthbending a stone fence, Azula walked up to him from behind.

"Excuse me, sir…"

"Katara?" the boy said, turning around. Azula saw the boy's green eyes, and noticed that he was trying to grow a mustache.

"Yes" Azula said, wondering what the odds were that a stranger would recognize her here.

"How've you been?" the boy asked. "It's been a while since you helped us here."

"I've been… around" Azula said. "Say, I don't suppose you could help me get a good deal on some supplies at the market?"

"Sure, anything" the boy said. "Hey we should stop by my house before we go. I'm sure my dad would like to see you again."

The boy led Azula into his home, which was also used as a small shop. Inside the shop area were several people browsing the wares, and Azula saw a frail woman at the counter. The boy walked up to the woman and hugged her.

"Hey mom, look whose back" the boy said.

"Katara" the woman said. "My boy Haru has missed you so much."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Riding inside a Fire Nation tank-train, Katara, Ty Lee, and Mai were speeding across the Earth Kingdom. The plow on the front of the vehicle broke through everything in their path, slowing down for nothing. Looking out a window Katara could see the landscape speeding by, far faster than any other means of transport she had used before.

Standing in front of the three girls was War Minister Qin. Despite the failure of his Drill at Ba Sing Se, he had retained his position due to progress in other matters. "Princess, we've tracked the Avatar's path through the Earth Kingdom" Qin reported. "If he maintains his current course he'll reach the rebels within a few days."

"I'm not concerned with any rebels" Katara said.

"Normally I'd agree with you" Qin said. "On their own these rebels are a nuisance, they've only secured a handful of their villages. But if they have the Avatar's aid they could destabilize the region."

"Don't worry about that, we'll stop him before that can happen" Katara said.

"Do you have a plan?" Mai asked.

"Just trust me on this, the Avatar isn't getting away from us this time" Katara said.

As if on cue, the train-tank came to a stop. "Excellent, we've arrived ahead of schedule" Qin observed. He opened the door and stepped outside the tank-train, followed by the three girls. They were on the edge of a military base, filled with soldiers in formation awaiting orders.

"They won't be necessary" Katara said.

"Princess, with all due respect, you'll need these troops to take out the Avatar" Qin said.

Looking over the troops, Katara thought about the options she might have for them. _I suppose a few witnesses might make capturing Aang believable _she thought. "Fine, just let me handle things at first and if things go wrong, send in the troops."

"Very well, I'll give the order" Qin said. He walked away to do his job, leaving Katara alone with the other girls.

"So what do you have in mind?" Ty Lee asked.

_I need to tell Aang I'm coming_ Katara thought. "Get me a messenger hawk, I have to send something out" she said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Between some hills hiding their location, Aang and Zuko were sparring in front of Iroh. They exchanged fireblasts, dodging each other's attacks while Iroh commented on their progress. Zuko was dodging fire and throwing his own fire back at the same time, while Aang had to stop firebending during each of his dodges. The fireblasts Aang used were smaller than Zuko's, showing how Aang was reluctant to be aggressive.

"Enough" Iroh said, holding up a hand. He saw Aang and Zuko stop and respectfully bow to each other.

"How did I do?" Aang asked, wiping off sweat from his forehead.

"You've improved a lot over the last few days" Iroh said. "There's a technique that you will need to know before we leave the Earth Kingdom."

"Breathing fire? Firewalls? Oh maybe that dragon of fire trick I saw once?" Aang guessed.

"No" Iroh said, disappointing Aang. "I'm going to teach you how to redirect lightning."

"Okay" Aang said.

Taking the better part of an hour, Iroh described how he developed the technique from studying waterbenders. He explained how lightning will follow the paths of energy in the human body, and if you could make new paths you could direct the lightning out without harm. Aang learned the technique easily, applying his experience with waterbending to the lesson.

"You've got it" Iroh said when they were finished.

"Great" Aang said.

"Let's head back to the others, it's getting late" Iroh said, noting how low the sun was on the horizon.

"Okay" Aang said.

Suddenly they heard a bird shriek in the air above them. Looking up they saw a red hawk fly down and land on the branch of a nearby tree. Zuko walked up to the hawk and found that it was carrying a message. He opened the container on its back and pulled out a piece of parchment.

"What does it say?" Aang asked.

"Tomorrow, be ready" Zuko read aloud. "It must be from Katara."

"This soon?" Iroh asked. "In that case you should get some more practice in tonight."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

It wasn't until Azula looked out a window that she noticed evening had arrived. Haru and his mother had insisted that she stay for supper, and it would have looked odd for her to refuse. The thought of a meal made by people that wanted to serve her was appealing as well, so she accepted their hospitality. What she didn't understand was why these people were going out of their way to help a peasant.

"So Katara, where's Aang and Sokka?" Haru asked.

"We got separated" Azula said. "I don't know where they are."

"Well I'm sure you'll find them soon" Haru said. "I can put a word out that you've been separated. Get some help in finding them for you."

"Uh… don't bother, I know where they're going" Azula said. "I'll meet up with them in the Fire Nation."

"The Fire Nation?" Haru said. "Why would you go there?"

"You haven't heard?" Azula said. "Aang is going to fight the Fire Lord."

"But, that's suicide" Haru said. "He doesn't stand a chance."

"Which is why I need to get there before he does" Azula said. "I should be moving on."

As Azula walked towards the door it was opened from the other side. Coming in was an old man, balding hair but with a long white beard. Almost walking into Azula, he stopped and recognized her.

"Katara? What a pleasant surprise" the old man said.

"Hi dad" Haru said. "Katara, you remember my old man Tyro."

"Yes of course" Azula lied. "If you don't mind, I need to get going."

"Where would you go at this hour?" Tyro asked.

"There's someone I'm supposed to meet outside of the village" Azula said. She walked through the doorway, but stopped on the other side. Looking back in, she said "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure" Haru said.

As Azula walked away from the house, Haru and Tyro watched her leave. "Did something seem, odd about Katara?" Tyro asked.

"A bit" Haru said, still looking at Azula. There was a small smile on his face. "I like it."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The next day Katara was riding a mongoose-dragon alongside Mai and Ty Lee. They were riding ahead of the Fire Nation soldiers, who had orders to assist their princess if necessary. Katara was trying to get as big a lead on the soldiers as possible, to avoid anyone interfering. She had a vague idea where Aang and the others were, certain that they would intercept her somewhere.

Glancing up every few seconds, Katara checked the skies for Appa. There were plenty of clouds in the sky, providing cover for a sky bison. Suddenly she heard a roar coming from above, and Katara spotted Appa flying out of a cloud ahead of her. Immediately Katara rode after him, closely followed by Ty Lee and Mai.

Appa disappeared behind a large hill. The steep sides required the mongoose-dragons to run around the hill, entering a wide ravine running through the terrain. Once they were inside the ravine, the three girls spotted Zuko and Iroh drinking tea. As Katara dismounted from the mongoose-dragon she saw Iroh and Zuko take fighting stances.

"Well what do we have here, two lonely traitors away from the herd" Katara said, trying to sound as smug as possible. Then she winked to Zuko.

"I'm no traitor" Zuko said. "The Avatar is right down this ravine, right where I want him."

"Not a traitor you say" Katara said. "But our dear uncle is. What's it going to be? Your nation, or a life of treachery?"

"Choose treachery, it's more fun" Iroh played along. He nudged Zuko, telling him to get on with it.

Zuko turned around towards Iroh. "Don't take this personally" Zuko whispered. He pulled back a fist and punched Iroh. The old man let the punch hit his face and he dropped to the ground, pretending to be knocked out by it.

"No way" Ty Lee said.

"I hate you Uncle" Zuko said. "You smell, and I hate you for all time."

Nobody noticed Mai raising an eyebrow, even as Zuko walked up to Katara. She dismounted and walked up to them, arms crossed. "Good to have you back Zuko" Mai said.

"We should get moving before the Avatar has a chance to escape" Zuko said.

Katara tied up Iroh while Ty Lee dismounted and joined them. Once Iroh's bonds were tight they left him behind and walked deeper into the ravine. Further inside the walls were higher and the path curved to the side. Zuko led the way in, stopping when he could hear Aang and Sokka talking around a corner.

"Now" Zuko whispered.

Zuko and Katara rushed in and threw fireblasts towards Aang. He diverted the red and blue flames, scattering them everywhere. Behind Aang was Appa, taking to the air in fright. No one could see Suki in the saddle, taking Appa away from the group. Sokka and Toph rushed to Aang's side, standing behind them ready to fight.

Ty Lee and Mai ran in, stopping next to Katara and Zuko. Then Ty Lee's eyes fell onto Toph. "Hey wait a minute. Isn't that the earthbender that helped us?" Ty Lee asked.

Immediately Toph earthbended a boulder out of the ground and threw it at Aang, which hit him and slammed Aang into a wall. A second later the boulder shattered and Aang climbed out of the rubble, just in time to dodge a fireblast from Zuko.

"Traitor!" Sokka yelled and charged at Toph. She earthbended the ground beneath Sokka's feet, sinking him into the ground up to his waist. Before Toph could sink Sokka in any deeper she was hit by a windblast from Aang.

"You're on _their_ side, all along!" Aang yelled. Before he could say more Aang had to deflect more fire from Zuko.

"Duh, of course I'm on their side" Toph said. She earthbended stone clamps around Aang's feet, keeping him secured to the ground. "Did you really expect someone like me to fight for the losing side?"

Aang broke out of the stone clamps with his earthbending, and stepped away from the others. It wasn't until he stumbled into the wall that he realized he was backed into a corner. Katara, Zuko, and Toph closed in on Aang, with Ty Lee and Mai watching. Toph threw a boulder at Aang while Katara and Zuko used more fireblasts, which Aang tried to block with a wall of stone.

As the different elements collided the stone wall exploded, showering the area with dust. While he couldn't be seen Aang dropped to the ground, pretending to be unconscious. As far as anyone could see, the Avatar had been defeated.

"We did it" Zuko said. "We finally did it."

"Yes you did, and it was boring that we didn't do anything" Mai said. She looked at Toph for a moment, then back to Katara. "You could have told us you had a mole in their ranks."

"That would have ruined the surprise" Katara said. "Now help me get these two tied up. We should get them out of before anyone sees the bison without its owner."

"Can do" Ty Lee said. She stepped over to Sokka and struck his pressure points. She watched Toph pull Sokka out of the ground, letting her grab his legs and drag him behind her. Walking beside Toph, Ty Lee said "You know, I think this may be the start of a beautiful friendship."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile, Azula and Ursa were packing their new supplies onto the ostrich-horses. They had enough to reach the port towns on the west coast, and would leave the beasts behind there. Azula finished packing hers first, and started walking away before Ursa noticed.

"Where are you going?" Ursa asked.

"Back to that village" Azula answered. "There's something I need to see."

"I thought you took care of everything?" Ursa asked.

"Yesterday I met an earthbender who recognized me" Azula explained. "It's a gamble, but I think I can convince him to help us."

"Which name is he using for you?" Ursa asked.

"He called me Katara, so if this works you'll have to call me that" Azula said. "As much as I don't like it."

"I'll just keep the mask on, so I won't have to call you anything at all" Ursa said.

"That works too" Azula said with a smile.

Walking to the village, Azula wondered how she was going to enlist Haru's help. The thought of using a threat was appealing, but she knew it would likely alienate him. As she walked through the gates into the village Azula wondered if simply asking him would be enough. Heading for the shop Haru's mother worked in, Azula spotted Haru walking out the door.

"Hey Katara" Haru said when he noticed Azula. "What's up?"

"Well I was wondering if I could ask you something" Azula said.

"Sure, anything" Haru said.

"Would you mind coming with me to the Fire Nation?" Azula asked.

"Okay" Haru said.

"It's just that I need the… Did you just say 'Okay'?" Azula said. Off all the responses she could think of, simply accepting her request without question had not been one of them.

"Yes, it's the least I can do after you helped get my father out of that prison" Haru said. "Our village wouldn't be anywhere near this prosperous if you hadn't inspired us in that metal prison."

"Alright then, we'll just get your things and get going" Azula said. "We don't want to be late."

_A/N: If I were a shipper, I'd be totally shipping Hazula right now. Or is it called Harula? Fortunately for me (and the readers who dislike shipping, if any exist) I have next to no experience with writing a ship. So unless you want me to try writing this ship, I'll probably be avoiding romance._


	12. Stealth and Subterfuge

_A/N: Judging by the reviews for the previous chapter, I've decided to not ship Haru/Azula in this story. As some of you have pointed out, it would likely just get in the way of the story._

_Anyway, I apologize in advance if this chapter seems a little short. It's kind of a Breather Chapter.  
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Chapter 12: Stealth and Subterfuge

Leaning on a railing aboard a Fire Nation ship, Katara watched the waves splash against the hull. The ship was sailing west at maximum speed, its crew determined to bring the prisoners to the capital as quickly as possible. Katara could hear nearby crewmen gossiping about how fortunate they were to be on the ship transporting the Avatar, something to tell their grandchildren about one day. The thought that these people were happy to know Aang was captured disgusted Katara.

Looking towards the bow of the ship, Katara saw Zuko and Mai standing together. At times Katara thought they would kiss, but they wouldn't in public just yet. Simply being close to Mai was enough to keep Zuko content, and he was in no hurry to take their relationship further. Katara left them alone, since their relationship was none of her business.

Also on deck was War Minister Qin, who walked up to Katara. "Princess, we're making excellent time and should arrive at the capital by tomorrow" Qin reported.

"You didn't have to come out here to tell me that" Katara said. "What do you really want to say?"

"Well it's about that earthbender you brought with you" Qin said.

Katara looked Qin straight in the eyes, wondering if he suspected anything. "What about her?" she asked.

"She's… gotten seasick" Qin answered.

Holding back a sigh of relief, Katara just shook her head. "That's it?" Katara asked. When Qin nodded she walked past him towards the ship's cabin. "I'll see just how bad it is myself" she told him.

Entering the ship's interior, Katara walked towards the room set aside for Toph. An entire hallway had been reserved for the 'heroes' of the Fire Nation, giving all five of them a room normally shared by three crewmen. When Katara arrived at Toph's room, she opened the door and was hit by a foul smell. Holding her nose and looking inside, Katara saw Toph leaning over a bucket. Also in the room was Ty Lee, washing out another bucket in a sink.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked.

"Are we there yet?" Toph asked.

"No" Katara answered.

Ty Lee walked over to Toph and set down the bucket she just cleaned. "You know, I could help you get your sea legs real quick" Ty Lee said. "I'd only need to tap a few chi points along your legs and feet"

"You keep those hands away from my feet!" Toph yelled.

"Alright alright, hands off the feet" Ty Lee said. She walked over to Katara by the door. "What is with her and her feet?"

"Oh she's just worried that you'll blind her" Katara said. "Toph needs her feet to see."

"Well that's something new" Ty Lee said. She walked out the door and did a cartwheel down the hallway. "I wonder if she can see with her hands?" she muttered to herself.

Once Ty Lee was out of sight, Katara closed the door and turned back towards Toph. "So how are Aang and Sokka?" she asked.

Placing a hand on the floor, Toph focused on the vibrations passing through the ship. The picture in her head was strange, distorted by the vibrations through metal instead of earth. While she could still make out the ship and everyone in it, the water pounding against the hull was a chaotic mess of vibrations. Despite the sickening vision of the water, Toph could still see where Aang and Sokka were.

"Twinkletoes is out cold, but Sokka's pacing in his cell" Toph reported. "Considering where we are, they're just fine."

"And Iroh?" Katara asked.

"He's chained up, but alright" Toph said. She got up and slowly walked towards a bed in the room. "I'm going to lie down now."

Katara watched Toph climb into the bed, then left the room. She walked towards the room reserved for her, thinking that Toph had the right idea and should get some rest.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back in the Earth Kingdom, Azula, Ursa, and Haru entered a port village under Fire Nation control. Using night to cover their entry, none of the soldiers noticed them. They used the alleys behind buildings to head for the docks, avoiding the main streets lit up by lamps. Whenever soldiers came near Haru would earthbend a hiding place beneath the ground until the soldiers passed.

When they reached the docks Azula spotted several ships in port. Most of them were locked down for the night, except for one. Even in dim moonlight she could see people loading crates onto the ship, with soldiers yelling at them to work faster. With a gesture of her hand Azula signaled that they needed to get closer, and Haru complied by earthbending a tunnel into the ground.

The earthbended tunnel was long enough to reach the soldiers supervising the workers. At the end of the tunnel Haru earthbeneded several small holes to the surface so that they could eavesdrop on the soldiers.

"Hurry up! This ship was supposed to leave port three hours ago!" a soldier yelled.

One of the workers replied, but the words couldn't be made out inside the tunnel. Azula imagined that the worker was simply complaining for the sake of complaining.

"No Excuses!" the solder yelled. "If those supplies don't make it to the Boiling Rock on schedule we will ALL be scrapping crab-barnacles for a year!"

"Where's the Boiling Rock?" Haru whispered.

"In the Fire Nation" Azula answered. "We have to get aboard that ship."

"And how are we going to do that?" Haru asked.

"First, earthbend this tunnel out to the sea" Azula ordered.

"And flood the tunnel?" Haru questioned.

"Just do it" Azula said.

Though Haru hesitated, he earthbended the wall of the tunnel and extended it out to sea. The tunnel opened at the end and water rushed in. Azula bended the water as it approached, stopping it from filling the tunnel completely. She walked forward and pushed the water back until everyone reached the end of the tunnel. At the end Azula pushed the water back further, creating a bubble of air beneath the sea.

The moonlight barely penetrated the water at their depth, but the ships still cast large enough shadows to be easily found. "Now raise us up" Azula ordered.

"Alright" Haru said. Earthbending the ground inside the bubble of air, Haru created a column of rock that slowly brought them to the surface. When they reached the surface they were close to the ship's hull, near the stern.

"Okay, make us level with the deck, slowly" Azula ordered. Haru gradually raised the earth Azula bended water from the sea up with them. She connected the column of earth to the ship's deck with the water, then froze it into a bridge of ice.

"Quickly" Ursa said. She hurried across the ice and onto the deck, Azula and Haru right behind her. Once all three of them were aboard Azula melted the ice and Haru shattered the column of rock, leaving no traces of how they got there.

"Now what?" Haru asked.

"We hide" Azula said.

Avoiding the few crewmen on the other side of the deck, Azula led the way into the ship's interior. She headed for the crew quarters, taking care not to enter the paths to the cargo hold. The crewmen loading the ship were in too big a hurry to keep an eye out for stowaways. When they reached an empty room they stopped to rest inside it.

"We can't stay in here the whole trip" Ursa said.

"I know" Azula said.

Without warning the ship started to move. Looking out a porthole they could see that the ship was leaving the port.

"How long is the trip to the Boiling Rock?" Haru asked.

"A few days" Azula said. "Maybe less if they're in a hurry."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Arriving in the Fire Nation capital was a strange experience for Katara. When the ship arrived it had to pass through the Great Gates of Azulon. The statue of the former Fire Lord in the middle of the bay was an impressive sight, even though she had to act like she had already seen it many times. Once the ship was past the gates it made port at the docks.

Before leaving the ship Katara had to look the part of a princess. But instead of dressing herself several servant girls were brought in to do it for her. The servants were too scared of making a mistake to notice Katara's discomfort at letting others clothe her. Once Katara had the royal armor on the servants left and she could leave the ship.

From the ship Katara traveled inside a palanquin. Though she would have preferred to walk instead of be carried, protocols had to be followed. The curtains of the palanquin only showed her silhouette to the people outside it. Katara was glad to be hidden from view, since the crowds outside cheering for 'Azula' disgusted her.

It wasn't until the palanquin was set down that Katara realized she had arrived at the palace. She got up from her seat and pulled back the curtain in front of her. Stepping out of the palanquin, Katara saw Zuko outside waiting for her. She walked up to him and stopped at Zuko's side at the threshold to the palace, ready to follow his lead.

Together Katara and Zuko walked towards the palace doors. "This is it" Katara whispered.

"Yes, it is" Zuko said.

"Any advice?" Katara asked.

"Stay calm and controlled" Zuko said.

Katara and Zuko reached the doors, which were opened from inside for them. Stepping inside the palace Katara spotted servants waiting for commands. Zuko walked slightly ahead of Katara, just enough to lead the way to the throne room. They stopped at the entrance to the throne room, which was blocked by guards in front of the curtain with the symbol of fire on it.

One of the guards stepped forward. "Princess, the Fire Lord will see you now" the guard said.

"What about… my brother?" Katara asked, slightly hesitating to call Zuko that.

"He specifically asked for you, Princess" the guard said.

"Very well" Katara said.

Another guard pulled back the curtain for Katara to walk through. Immediately she noticed the wall of fire at the far end of the room, blocking her view of the Fire Lord. Walking towards the wall of fire Katara felt the heat rise, and she stopped before it would be enough to make her sweat. Through the flames Katara could see a silhouette of Fire Lord Ozai.

"Azula" Ozai said. "Welcome home."

Katara bowed to Ozai, maintaining the formalities. She wished she didn't have to respond to him like his daughter. "How can I serve, father."

"You've already done a great service" Ozai said. "The enemy is in turmoil over your actions in Ba Sing Se, your traitorous uncle has been captured, and most impressive above all else, the Avatar has been imprisoned." Then with a smile he said "Well done."

"I couldn't have done it all alone" Katara said. "Without Zuko the Avatar would have escaped."

"You could have simply killed him" Ozai stated.

"That would only be a… temporary solution" Katara said. "He would have reincarnated and be a problem again in the future."

"True" Ozai said. For moment he thought about the possibilities. "We'll see how long he can be held captive. If that is too much trouble the temporary solution will have to suffice."

"Of course" Katara said.

Without warning Ozai extinguished the wall of fire, leaving only lamps in the room lit. While Katara adjusted to the dim light Ozai got up from his throne and walked towards her. Once Katara got a good look at Ozai's face, she couldn't help but notice the similarity to Zuko. Without Ozai's beard or Zuko's scar, Ozai looked like an older Zuko.

"Now tell me Azula, has your brother truly redeemed himself?" Ozai asked as he walked up to Katara.

"That's really not my judgment to make" Katara said. _Why is he looking at me like that? _she wondered, feeling really uncomfortable with Ozai right next to her.

"You don't mind letting him step ahead of you in the line of succession?" Ozai asked.

"I don't expect the succession to be an issue for quite some time" Katara said.

Ozai smiled at that remark, and then turned away from Katara. "That is all for now" Ozai said. "Do send in your brother on your way out."

Katara bowed and then walked towards the exit. When she heard Ozai reignite his wall of fire Katara let out a sigh of relief. _That could have gone a lot worse _she thought as she left the throne room.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Once the ship leaving the Earth Kingdom was well on its way, Azula focused her efforts on staying hidden onboard. Unfortunately there are only so many places to be on a ship, and it was inevitable that someone would find stowaways.

Haru had been taking food from the galley when a crewman saw him in there. Haru hadn't noticed, and the crewmen immediately alerted the ship's captain. The captain had the crew search the ship from one end to the other, and caught the stowaways in a storage room near the ship's stern.

"All right, you got us" Azula said, holding up her hands.

Flanked by four crewmen, the captain examined Azula, Ursa, and Haru. His hair was short and gray, with sideburns framing his face. "Now what do you three think you're doing on my ship?" he asked.

"Hitching a ride, what else would it be?" Azula said.

"Tell me why and maybe I won't have you thrown overboard" the captain demanded.

"We have information the Fire Lord needs to hear" Azula said.

The captain laughed for a moment. "You expect me to believe that?" he asked.

"No, I don't" Azula interrupted. "Either way we have to reach the capital before Sozin's Comet arrives."

"Oh no, I'm taking my ship anywhere near the capital while the Avatar is imprisoned there" the captain said.

"What!" Haru yelled. "How in the world did the Avatar get caught?"

_That's a good question _Azula thought.

"Of course you haven't heard the news, its only just arrived by hawk a few hours ago" the captain said. "Prince Zuko and Princess Azula captured the Avatar and are holding him prisoner at the capital."

_That doesn't make any sense. Why would they do that? _Azula wondered.

"Wouldn't you want to go and see the captured Avatar for yourself?" Ursa asked.

"No. I saw enough of the Avatar when I served in Zhao's foolish siege of the north" the captain said. "Honestly I think it's a mistake to hold him so close to the palace."

"You were at the siege?" Azula asked. "I thought there were no survivors."

"I was just a lieutenant then, on the last ship to reach the invasion forces" the captain said. "I barely made it out alive."

"In that case you should go to the capital and warn them about the danger" Azula suggested.

"They would never listen" the captain said. "Besides I have a shipment to deliver." Turning to his crew he said "Take them to the brig."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

While Zuko talked to his father, Katara wandered around the palace. She wasn't expected to be anywhere at the moment and wanted to know where everything was. Whenever Katara walked past someone she made herself look like she knew where she was going, and no one bothered to ask what she was doing.

After an hour of wandering aimlessly, Katara came across the royal spa. With nothing better to do Katara decided to enjoy herself a little. She sat down on a comfortable chair while several servant girls attended to her. They washed her hair, filed her nails, and scrubbed her feet.

"Cherries Princess" one servant offered, holding a bowl of cherries next to Katara.

"Sure" Katara said, taking one from the bowl. Chewing it slowly, Katara liked the new taste. She took another cherry, but as she chewed this one Katara felt something hard in it. Katara spit it into her hand and held it towards the servant. "What am I holding?" Katara asked.

"A cherry pit, Princess" the servant slowly answered.

"Shouldn't these be removed?" Katara asked.

"It wasn't a decision" the servant said, starting to shudder in fear. "It was just a small mistake."

_She's terrified of me _Katara thought as she looked at the servant. "Forget it, no harm's been done" Katara said.

The servant calmed down a bit. "Is there anything else I can do?" she asked.

"Take the rest of the day off" Katara suggested.

Surprised, the servant nearly dropped the bowl of cherries. "Princess, please don't be angry with me?"

"I'm not" Katara said. "A small mistake could simply be from stress. Take the afternoon off, get a good night's sleep, and I'm sure you'll do much better the next time."

"Of course, Princess, thank you" the servant said, getting up and walking away.

The other servants stared at Katara, confused by her generosity. "Did I say stop?" Katara asked. "Finish this up and the rest of you can relax with her."

"Yes Princess" the other servants all said together. They went back to work, quickly finishing their tasks. When they were finished Katara smiled and left the spa, leaving the servants confused, but relieved as well.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Waiting in the brig was painfully boring for Azula. She was alone in the cell, Ursa and Haru in cells adjacent to hers. For a while Azula wondered if the crew had forgotten about them, since she never saw any guards watch the cells. It wasn't until she felt the ship stop moving that she realized they had reached a port.

_We can't be there already _Azula wondered. As far as she knew no ship was fast enough to reach the Boiling Rock in such a short time. While wondering where the ship had docked she heard someone approach.

The ship's captain entered the brig with five soldiers behind them. They opened the three cells and forced Azula out along with Ursa and Haru.

"Where are we?" Ursa asked.

"Fire Fountain City" the captain answered. "We're turning you over to the local authorities for punishment."

"Why not take us all the way to the Boiling Rock?" Azula asked.

"That prison is for firebenders and political prisoners" the captain explained. "You three would be a waste of space there. Now get moving, this ship is already behind schedule enough as it is."

The soldiers escorted Azula, Ursa, and Haru out of the brig and onto the ship's deck. Even from the port Azula could see the flames from the statue of Ozai that identified the city. Walking towards the pier, Azula saw local soldiers ready to take her into custody. Glancing around, Azula looked for an opportunity to exploit.

While walking along the bridge between the ship and the pier, Azula shoved one of the soldiers off and into the water. Before the others could respond Azula bended water up from the sea and pulled it towards herself in an arc. The water hit the soldiers around Azula, leaving only her, Ursa, and Haru still on it.

"Stop where you are" the soldiers on the dock ordered, assuming firebending stances.

"Yea no, not happening" Azula said. She pushed down against the water beneath the bridge, bending it away from the hull of the ship. In seconds a massive void was made on that side of the ship, allowing the water on the other side to push against the hull and tip the ship over.

The bridge to the dock cracked and buckled as the ship tipped over. Ursa and Haru ran back up it towards the ship, grabbing Azula with them. They reached the ship's deck just as the hull hit the pier, shattering it and sending the soldiers into the water. As the deck began to sink under the water, Azula created a lifeboat of ice for her, Ursa, and Haru.

Floating away from the capsized ship, Haru waved at the swimming soldiers. "Thanks for the ride!" Haru shouted.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In the middle of the night, Katara left the palace on her own, wearing a dark red cloak to hide her identity. Using a map that Zuko provided, Katara found her way out of the capital without anyone noticing her. She headed for the prison, easily finding the large tower that contained the worst Fire Nation criminals.

The map marked a hidden passage into the prison, which avoided the sentries patrolling outside. Inside the prison Katara headed for the deepest and darkest dungeon, where she knew Aang was being held. When she reached the room Katara spotted a guard outside the door.

"Halt!" the guard ordered, wielding a spear. He watched Katara continue walking, lifting her head to reveal her face. He lowered his guard as Katara reached him. "Princes…"

Katara interrupted the guard by yanking the spear out of his hands and shoving him into the wall. With one arm pinning the guard to the wall, Katara lit a small blue flame in her hand. "This Never Happened" Katara said, swelling the flame in her hand for a moment.

The guard nodded silently, and Katara let him go. Picking up the spear, resumed his post while letting Katara enter.

Inside Katara saw that the entire room was lined with metal, blocking all contact with the earth. Several small torches lined the walls, drying out the air inside. Small vents provided air into the room, designed to slam shut if even a small breeze blew inside. The limited air ensured that if any more fire was created inside, it would suffocate everyone in the room. Not even the Avatar could escape this specially designed cell.

Within the cell was a cage, and inside that was Aang chained to the bars. The chains had enough slack to let him move and feed himself, but were tight enough to prevent use as a tool for suicide. Despite being trapped like a caged animal, Aang's face lit up like a child with candy when he saw Katara enter the cell.

"How long have I been in the slammer?" Aang asked.

"Too long already" Katara said. Reaching into her cloak Katara retrieved a pastry wrapped in paper and handed it to Aang. "Here, it's far better than prison food."

"Thanks" Aang said. He quickly ate the pastry, noticing how Katara had made certain that there wasn't any meat in it. "That hit the spot."

"I'll try to bring more when I can" Katara said. "It won't be every night, because that would draw too much attention."

"It's only for a few more weeks" Aang said. "I think I can handle it."

"I know you can" Katara said. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and walked out of the room. The guard outside the room watched Katara leave, but did nothing about it.

_A/N: Anyone figure out which minor character the captain of that ship is supposed to be? I figured that Lt. Jee was overdue for a promotion after he left the series._


	13. Beach and Witch

_If I had known how difficult it is to make plots from two different episodes occur at the same time, I wouldn't have thought it was a good idea.__ So once again, sorry for the delay. Once a month updates aren't too bad... right?_

Chapter 13: Beach and Witch

Azula, Ursa, and Haru only spent a single night on the island that contained Fire Fountain City. They stole food and supplies to last a few days and left before the local soldiers could catch them. Making a small boat out of ice and propelling it with waterbending, Azula took them away from the island. They headed north-west, towards an island with a remote village.

Arriving at the new island around sunset, they made camp inside some woods. As night fell they made a campfire for warmth. Even with the light from the campfire, the area seems unnaturally dark, with the tree branches overhead blocking out the moonlight. To pass the time, everyone tried on new clothes they had stolen from a clothesline on the previous island.

"This feels weird" Haru said. He was wearing a black outfit with red shoulders and dark red trim.

"You look good in that" Ursa said. She was wearing a traditional Fire Nation dress, which went down to her knees.

"And we're going to need these clothes to blend in" Azula said. She wore light red clothes which revealed her waist.

"I see your point" Haru said. He yawned, tired after a long day. "So who's going to take the first night watch?" he asked.

"That won't be necessary here" Azula said. "Rumor has it that this island is haunted."

"And that's a good thing?" Haru asked.

"I don't believe in ghosts, and this island is too pristine for spirits to be angry" Azula said.

"The locals probably fake a haunting to scare away military folk" Ursa suggested. "Many of them are a superstitious and cowardly lot."

"I don't know, I just find this place kind of creepy" Haru said.

"Are you scared?" Azula asked.

"Of course not" Haru answered.

After a quick rustle of the bushes, a new voice said "Hello there."

Haru screamed, jumping over to Azula's side of the campfire. Azula rolled her eyes in annoyance. She watched the stranger walk into the light of the campfire, seeing an old woman.

"I'm sorry to frighten you" the old woman apologized. "My name is Hama."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Once the Fire Lord knew about the invasion plan on the solar eclipse, he wanted to speak with his advisors alone. To ensure privacy, he forced his children to spend a weekend on Ember Island, and to take their friends with them for company. Li and Lo had been sent ahead to prepare a beach home for them.

Traveling by boat, Katara worried about Aang and Sokka. She kept wondering what condition they would be in when she got back to the capital. With only two weeks left until the solar eclipse, Katara needed to keep them healthy and ready for the invasion. She didn't want to be relaxing at some resort while they suffered.

When the boat arrived at Ember Island, it stopped in front of a small house near the shore. On the docks were Lo and Li, waiting for them. Katara, Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Toph all stepped off the boat and followed the twins to the house. Inside the house they looked around, noticing all the stuff that had been collected over the years.

"It smells like old lady in here" Zuko complained.

"Gee, I wonder why" Mai snarked.

"Do we have to stay here?" Toph asked. "I can't even see and I've seen enough."

"We know you're upset about being forced to come here this weekend" Li said.

"But Ember Island is a magical place, keep an open mind" Lo said.

"Give it a chance" Li said.

"And it can help you understand yourselves and each other" Li and Lo said in synch.

Li picked up a smooth stone from a table. "The beach has a special way of smoothing even the most ragged edges" Li said while rubbing the stone.

Katara yawned, finding no interest in listening to the old hags.

Li and Lo clapped their hands, then discarded a layer of clothing each to reveal their bathing outfits. "Time to hit the beach" they both said while doing so.

Mai blocked Zuko's vision of them with her hand, while Katara felt a need to throw up. Toph just stood there reading the reactions of everyone else, for once glad that she was blind.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Hama had invited Azula, Ursa, and Haru to stay in the inn she kept nearby. To avoid unnecessary questions from the old woman, Azula accepted the invitation. The thought of sleeping in a proper bed was more than tempting, and Hama appeared to be harmless enough. The moment Azula climbed into the bed at the inn she slept throughout the night

In the morning Azula woke up to find Hama standing in the doorway waiting. "Wakey wakey" Hama said. "Time to go shopping."

"Do we have to?" Azula asked.

"Consider it the payment for staying at the inn" Hama suggested.

"Ugh… very well" Azula said.

Leaving Ursa at the inn to clean up, Azula and Haru went to the market with Hama. Over the course of an hour Haru was carrying several baskets of food, while Azula only carried one basket of vegetables. Hama didn't appear satisfied until she purchased the last of one merchant's ash bananas. As they turned away from the merchant's stall, Azula noticed the old merchant wave at Hama.

"Is he a friend of yours?" Azula asked. "Have you ever tried getting free stuff from him?"

"You would have me use my feminine charm to take advantage of that poor man?" Hama asked. "I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly."

"Is there anything you need here?" Azula asked.

"Why don't both of you take those things back to the inn" Hama said. "I just have to run a couple more errands. I'll be back in a little while."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Wearing revealing bathing outfits in the summer heat, the four girls plus Zuko walked along the beach. Katara smiled as she saw little kids playing with the sand, carefully walking around a sandcastle that a pair of children were building. She laid a towel on the sand and started sunbathing, lazily watching what the others were doing.

Immediately several boys noticed Ty Lee and started flirting with her, competing for her attention. Zuko and Mai shared a beach towel under an umbrella, both ignoring everyone else. Toph started making her own sandcastle, carefully hiding the earthbending she used to speed up the process. Nearby Katara spotted several teens playing a game of kuai ball, and she watched them until she had a good sense of the game's rules.

"Ty Lee, Mai, Zuko, we're playing next" Katara said.

"What about me?" Toph asked, still working on her sandcastle.

"You're blind" Mai said.

"Point taken" Toph said.

Once the current game was finished, Katara and the others walked over to one side of the net. Katara served the ball, throwing it up into the air and kicking it over the net. As the ball was hit back and forth across the net everyone on both teams got to strike the ball. A girl with pigtails on the other team hit the ball towards Katara with her left foot. Katara's timing was slightly off, and when she tried to kick it back she missed. The ball hit the sand on Katara's side of the net, ending the game with the other team winning.

"Uh Oh" Mai said, looking at Katara.

Katara simply shrugged. "Well that was fun" she said.

A pair of teenage boys, Chan and Ruon Jian walked up to Ty Lee. "I'm having a party tonight" Chan said. "You should come by."

"Sure, I love parties" Ty Lee said.

"Your friend can come too" Ruon Jian said.

"Can we come also?" Katara asked while gesturing to Zuko.

"Okay" Chan said.

"I'm coming too!" Toph yelled, having finished her sandcastle.

"You're kind of young for the party" Ruon Jian said.

"Too bad" Toph said. "Either you can invite me to the party, or I can gatecrash it. Take your pick."

"Alright, fine, you're invited" Chan said. "Just try to act normal."

"We'll do our best" Katara agreed.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Azula and Haru returned to the inn well before noon and unpacked Hama's groceries. After an hour of waiting Hama arrived and started cooking dinner. With help from Ursa, the meal was finished an hour before sunset. With Azula and Haru sitting at the dinner table, Hama brought in a large bowl of soup and Ursa brought in steamed ocean cumquats.

"Thanks for letting us stay here" Haru said.

"No problem" Hama said. "Who wants five flavored soup?"

When everyone else raised their hands, Hama held hers over the soup. Moving her hand up, the soup flowed up with it, and Hama bent it into separate bowls for everyone.

"You're a waterbender!" Azula shouted.

"The last one from the Southern Water Tribe" Hama claimed.

"How did you end up here?" Haru asked.

"I was stolen from my home" Hama answered. She described how the Fire Nation had slowly abducted all of the waterbenders over many raids, and that she was the last one taken.

"Why reveal yourself to us?" Ursa asked.

Hama looked at Azula, straight into her eyes. "You look just like Kanna" she said. "I knew you have to be from our tribe."

"You were right" Azula said, playing along. She bent the soup in her bowl up into the air and let it splash back into the bowl.

Hama smiled at the sight of another waterbender. "I was wondering if you carried on our tribe's gifts" she said. "I suppose you've had to master the element on your own?"

"More or less" Azula said.

"I'd like to teach you what I know so you can carry on the southern tradition when I'm gone" Hama offered.

"Of course" Azula said. _This had better include combat skills _Azula thought.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After making a stop to change into evening clothes, Katara and the others walked over the beach house that the party would be at. They arrived an hour before sunset, long before anyone else. Katara knocked on the door, and had to wait a few minutes for someone to answer. When the door opened Chan looked at Katara, and was a little confused.

"Um… you're a little early" Chan said.

"We got bored" Katara said. "Can we come in?"

"Okay" Chan said and walked inside the house. With everyone following him, he said "Alright listen, my dad's an admiral. He has no idea I'm having this party, so don't mess anything up."

"Of course" Katara said.

Walking around the house, Katara looked at all the fancy things lying around. Ornate curtains, golden chandeliers, and a large vase that appeared to be begging to be tipped over. There was also a table with snacks and drinks for the party, and Ruon Jian was leaning against it.

"Hey, first ones here" Ruon Jian said.

"Yup" Toph said, pulling a chair up to the table. She sat down and propped her feet up on the table.

"Why do you feel the need to do that?" Mai asked Toph.

"Do what?" Toph asked.

"People are going to be eating the food near your dirty feet" Mai said.

"And either of us cares because…" Toph said.

"It's rude" Katara said.

"Oh fine" Toph said and put her feet on the floor. "Can we get the party started now?"

"It's going to be fun when everyone else gets here" Ty Lee said.

"In the meantime, I'm just going to have a snack" Toph said, grapping a bag of fire flakes from the table.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

As the sun was slowly setting on the horizon, Hama and Azula walked into a field near the woods. Fire lilies filled the field, blooming in the summer heat. The trees around the field hid it from outside view, providing privacy for waterbending lessons. Hama stopped near the edge of the field to take in the view for a moment before turning to Azula.

"Growing up at the South Pole, waterbenders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas" Hama said. "But as you probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go."

"It's not like how firebenders can just make their element anywhere" Azula said.

"Ah, but it's possible to mimic such a feat" Hama said. She spun her hand around in the air, collecting a small amount of water on her fingers. "You can pull water out of thin air."

"That's amazing" Azula said. _This changes everything _she thought

"You've got to keep an open mind" Hama said. She froze the water on her fingers into ice darts. "There's water in places you never think about." She threw the ice darts, impaling them into a tree.

"Okay" Azula said. She mimicked the motion Hama used to pull water out of the air, and collected enough water to coat her entire hand. Clenching her hand into a fist, Azula froze the water into an icy glove. With a smile on her face, Azula said "What's next?"

Hama walked deeper into the field, near a few outcrops of stone. She stopped to smell the flowers in the middle of the field. "These fire lilies only bloom a few weeks a year" Hama said. "They're one of my favorite things about living here. And like all plants, and all living things, they're filled with water."

"I see" Azula said, wondering where Hama was going with this.

"Watch" Hama said. Swinging her arms around, Hama bent water out of the fire lilies, causing them to wither and die as Hama used the released water to slice through a slab of stone.

"Incredible" Azula said. She looked at the dead lilies, a new patch of black within the red and green field. _Who knew water could be just as deadly as fire? _Azula thought.

"When you're a waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive" Hama said. "Tonight I'll teach you the ultimate technique of waterbending. It can only be done during the full moon, when your bending is at its peak."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Once more guests arrived the party began properly. A small band was hired to provide music to set the mood, festive and upbeat. The guests sampled the food and drinks while making small talk with each other. Most of the boys present had also been at the beach and were interested in making friends with Ty Lee.

Katara leaned against a wall, watching the party. She saw Ty Lee backed into a corner by several boys competing for her attention. When the boys wouldn't back off Ty Lee struck all of them into paralysis and cart wheeled away. Ty Lee saw Katara watching and walked over to her.

"Oh I'm glad you're here" Ty Lee said. "Those boys just won't leave me alone. I guess they all just like me too much."

"Come on, you enjoy it" Katara said. "And better you than me."

"You don't like boys?" Ty Lee asked.

"Just not these ones" Katara answered. "For some reason they all act as if I'm going to do something horrible to them."

"But you probably would do something horrible to them" Ty Lee said with a laugh. "I'm sure they're just intimidated by you."

"That's what I thought" Katara said.

"Hey if you want a boy to like you just look at him and smile at lot and laugh at everything he says even if it's not funny" Ty Lee said.

"Well that's really shallow and stupid" Katara said. "I'd rather watch Mai and Zuko brood."

Katara and Ty Lee looked over to the bench Mai and Zuko were sitting on. As usual Mai was bored, so she asked Zuko to get her something to eat. While Zuko was getting the food Mai started talking with Ruon Jian, instantly making Zuko jealous when he noticed. One thing led to another, resulting in Zuko shoving Ruon Jian into a large vase and breaking it.

"Shouldn't we do something?" Ty Lee asked as she watched Mai and Zuko argue.

"I'm just enjoying the show" Katara said.

The argument ended with Mai breaking up with Zuko, just in time for Chan to notice the broken vase. Chan demanded that Zuko leave, who gladly left the party. Once Zuko was outside and slammed the door shut, the party resumed as though nothing happened.

"Poor Zuko" Ty Lee said.

Katara sighed. "I'll go talk to him" she said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

As the last of the sun's rays vanished beneath the horizon, Hama and Azula walked into the woods. The full moon rose into the night sky, providing enough light to see the trees. Hama stopped when she reached a small clearing in the trees, where she could see the full moon above. Both waterbenders could feel their power increase in the full moon's presence.

"Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" Hama asked. "For generations it has blessed waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things. I've never felt more alive."

While Azula observed the full moon, a cat-owl hooted in the trees. "So what's the ultimate waterbending technique?" Azula asked.

"I discovered it in that wretched Fire Nation prison" Hama said. She explained how the guards had been extremely vigilant in preventing any waterbending. But they hadn't realized that the rats in the prisons were nothing more than skins filled with liquid. "I spent many years perfecting the skill that would lead to my escape. Bloodbending."

Azula stared at Hama, realizing where she was going with her tale. Thinking about it for a moment, she realized that this should have been obvious from the beginning. The human body is mostly water, and subject to the will of a waterbender.

"Controlling the water in another body, enforcing your own will over theirs" Hama continued. "Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men. And during the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades. Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything, or _anyone_."

"To reach inside and control someone…" Azula muttered. _This would be very dangerous if all the waterbenders knew about it _she thought. "How does it work?"

Hama reached toward one of the trees, and with a pulling motion she summoned a cat-owl to the ground. Clenching her fist, Hama forced the cat-owl's winds to bend backwards, stopping just before the wings would break.

"It's simple really" Hama said. "Picture the flesh as if it were merely a bag of water, and bend it like you would anything else."

Azula reached for the cat-owl, taking control of its water from Hama. With a quick motion Azula threw the cat-owl into a tree, slamming its head into the trunk and snapping its neck. "Incredible…" Azula muttered.

"Good" Hama said. "Now you can continue my work."

"What work?" Azula asked.

"I'll show you" Hama said. She turned to walk back to the town. "I've arranged a demonstration for tonight."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Katara left the party to find out where Zuko was going. The tracks left in the sand hadn't been washed away yet, making it easy to follow Zuko's path on the beach. They led Katara to a large beach home, seemingly abandoned for several years. The front doors had been kicked open, and Katara could see inches of dust coating the interior. Katara spotted Zuko inside staring at an old family painting.

"What is this place?" Katara asked as she stepped through the doorway.

"The old summer home" Zuko said. "It hasn't been used since our family could be considered normal."

"_Our_ family?" Katara asked.

Zuko made a weak laugh. "I've wondered how things would be different if you had always been like that. If I actually had a sister that didn't want to see me dead."

"I wouldn't be me if I had lived her life from the beginning" Katara said. "Let's go down to the beach. This place is depressing."

Katara walked down to the beach with Zuko behind her. They had no general direction in mind, just taking in the cool night air. To their surprise they found Mai, Ty Lee, and Toph sitting on logs around a burnt-out campfire. Katara and Zuko walked past Mai, sitting down across from her. Mai watched them sit together, and noticed how they seemed closer than usual.

"What just happened between you two?" Mai asked.

"We just talked" Katara answered. "Is that wrong?"

"Nope" Toph said. "Can someone make a fire? It's getting a little chilly."

"I'm freezing" Ty Lee said.

"Sure" Zuko said. He looked up at the old beach house. "There's plenty of stuff to burn in there."

With a quick trip to the beach house and back, Zuko had gathered enough stuff to burn for a while. It was mostly old wooden chairs broken into kindling and anything else small enough to carry. Among the items was the painting of Zuko's family, which he threw onto the fire without regret.

"What are you doing?" Ty Lee asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Zuko asked back.

"But it's a picture of your family" Ty Lee said.

"You think I care?" Zuko asked.

"I think you do" Ty Lee answered.

"You don't know me" Zuko said. "So why don't you just mind your own business."

"I know you" Ty Lee muttered.

"No you don't!" Zuko shouted. "You're stuck in your little Ty Lee world where everything's great all the time!"

"Zuko, leave her alone" Mai asked.

Ignoring Mai, Zuko did an impression of Ty Lee. "I'm so pretty I can walk on my hands" he said while doing a handstand, holding it for a moment before letting himself fall over.

"Stop teasing her" Katara said.

Suddenly Mai stood up and stared at Katara. "Who are you and what have you done with Azula!"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

On the outskirts of the town, Hama spotted her latest prey. Earlier in the day she had asked an old shopkeeper to meet her after dark alone. He never spotted Hama, and was about to leave when she took control of his body. She forced him to walk away from the town, showing Azula how easy it was to bloodbend a human being.

"Where are we taking him?" Azula asked as she walked behind Hama.

"A place where he can rot just like the rest of his kind did to me" Hama answered. "Now would you be a dear and take over for me. I'm not as strong as I used to be."

Azula took control of the old man, making him flap his arms like a bird while moving him forward. She didn't care at all who the man was, just that having complete control over someone was exhilarating. Why bother using fear to influence people when she could just force them to do her bidding. "Is the full moon really necessary to do this?" Azula asked.

"I've tried to use it without the full moon" Hama said. "They are able to resist bloodbending when the moon isn't full. And during the day our bending isn't powerful enough to overcome the person's control of their own body."

_I'll have to work on that _Azula thought.

Within the hour they reached a cave in the side of a mountain on the island. Deep inside was a makeshift prison containing over a dozen people chained to the walls. Hama chained the new prisoner close to the door. Before leaving Hama forced a small amount of water down the throats of every prisoner, then left the room and locked the door behind her.

"Why are you bothering to keep them alive?" Azula asked as they walked out of the cave. "If you're after revenge why not just kill them?"

"The Fire Nation left me to rot in a cell" Hama answered. "They all deserve the same."

"There's just one problem" Azula asked as they reached the woods just outside the cave. With her back to the trees Azula faced Hama. "I _am _Fire Nation."

Without warning Azula bent water out of two trees behind her, which turned brittle and shattered as Azula threw the water at Hama. At the last second Hama diverted the water around her and threw it to the side. Azula bent water out of the grass around her, forming shards of ice out of the blackened terrain and threw the ice shards at Hama. The older waterbender bend the ice shards into steam to disperse it harmlessly.

"Are you insane Katara!" Hama yelled. "Attacking the only other southern waterbender!"

"My name is Azula! Daughter of Fire Lord Ozai and Ursa! Princess of the Fire Nation and second in line for the throne!"

Azula bent the water out of every living thing within twenty feet of herself. As a circle of death and decay formed around her Azula formed a wide ring of water. She threw all of the water at Hama, who tried to divert and throw it back at Azula. Overpowering her opponent's bending, Azula forced the water back at Hama and used it to freeze Hama to the side of the mountain.

"You monster!" Hama yelled.

"I know" Azula said. As she was about to strike the finishing blow with an ice dagger Azula saw Hama melt the ice binding her. Before Azula could react Hama started bloodbending her, forcing Azula's attack to veer off course.

"You shouldn't have betrayed me" Hama said. She twisted Azula's arms back, nearly to the breaking point. "Once I'm through with you I'm going after that Fire Nation wretch you traveled with!"

"That Fire Nation wretch…" Azula said. She resisted the bloodbending, using her own waterbending to overcome Hama's. With her body back under her control, she said "… is my mother!"

Azula started bloodbending Hama, pressing her limbs against her torso. In a second Azula forced Hama's arms to leap away from her torso, dislocating Hama's shoulders. With her opponent defenseless, Azula bent stray water into a spear of ice and rammed it through Hama's chest, sticking her to the side of the mountain.

"Why…" Hama muttered with her last breaths.

"You're no longer useful to me" Azula said. For good measure she bent all of the water out of Hama's body and spilled the water onto the ground. She turned and walked away from the shriveled corpse, satisfied with the results of her newly realized power.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

For a moment on the beach, the only sounds were the waves hitting the shore and the crackling of the campfire. Mai stared at Katara, determined to bring the truth out. Katara and Zuko stared at Mai in shock, while Toph's mouth hung open and Ty Lee looked at everyone else in confusion.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Katara said.

"I'm not a fool" Mai said. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure it out?"

"Figure what out?" Ty Lee asked.

"Ty Lee, not even you are this dense" Mai said. "She's not the same person that made us track down Zuko."

"Well people change" Ty Lee said.

"Not like this" Mai said. She turned her attention back to Katara. "Whoever you are, you're not Azula."

Before anyone could attempt to deny Mai's accusation, Toph interrupted with "Cat-gator's out of the bag." In response Zuko planted his face in the palm of his hand.

Mai looked at Zuko and Toph. "You _knew!_" Mai yelled.

Katara let out a sigh. "What gave me away?" she asked.

"You're too nice" Mai answered. "Azula would have encouraged Zuko's teasing earlier. You didn't."

"And that's enough to tell if someone's different?" Toph asked.

"Enough to confirm my suspicions" Mai said. "Now tell me who you are."

"I'm Katara, the Water Tribe girl Ty Lee chi blocked back at Omashu."

"I remember that" Ty Lee said. "How did you become Azula?"

"An accident involving spirit water" Katara said. "Mai, how long did you suspect me?"

"Since we left Ba Sing Se" Mai answered. "You said the Dai Li brainwashed me to attack you and Ty Lee. The Azula I know wouldn't have bothered to let me live through a betrayal like that."

"Oh… so you didn't say anything out of gratitude" Toph said.

"There's also your little act before we left the Earth Kingdom" Mai said. "Iroh and the Avatar were captured far too easily."

"You have a point" Katara admitted.

"So what will you do now that you know?" Zuko asked.

"I should report you to the Fire Lord" Mai answered.

"Don't" Ty Lee said. She got in between Katara and Mai.

"Why?" Mai said. "She's been deceiving us for weeks."

"Katara still got us out of that Dai Li prison" Ty Lee said. "That's got to count for something."

"She needed us to keep her cover up" Mai said. "She used us."

"I know" Ty Lee said. "It's just… I like her better now."

"What" Katara said.

"I'm not scared" Ty Lee said. "Not like when Azula made me help her."

"And your point is?" Mai asked.

"She's a better person than Azula ever was" Ty Lee said. "Like you said, she let you live when Azula would have killed you."

"Is this supposed to be the part where I say I owe her my life?" Mai asked. "No. How do I know you aren't plotting something?"

"Well if everything goes according to the plan you'll become the Fire Lady" Toph said.

"Come again?" Mai said.

"Alright, we were going to take down the Fire Lord" Katara admitted. "That would put Zuko in charge, making his girlfriend the second most powerful person in the nation."

"You can't deny that it's tempting" Toph said.

"I broke up with him" Mai said.

"Don't remind me" Zuko said.

"Look, Mai, I won't ask you to help us with this" Katara said. "Just that you stay out of the way."

With all of the attention on her, Mai considered her options for a moment. "I'll be watching you" she said.

"Good enough" Toph said.

Katara turned her attention to Ty Lee. "Now that you know, could you give me some advice on how to act like Azula?" Katara asked.

"Well I can think of one thing she would want to do right now" Ty Lee said.

Within the hour all five of them went back to the party and thoroughly trashed it. Zuko broke the tables while Ty Lee brought down the chandeliers and Mai sliced apart the tapestries. Katara set the walls aflame and Toph pulled slabs of rock through the floor. They only stopped when the beach house appeared to be on the verge of collapsing, and left the beach in high spirits.


	14. Missions and Motives

_A/N: Wow, over 100 reviews for this story. I'd like to thank everyone that's been patient with me and still reading this story._

Chapter 14: Missions and Motives

For nearly two weeks, Katara counted down the days until the solar eclipse. The Fire Nation capital prepared for the invasion, recalling soldiers from across the nation to aid in the defense. Nobles in the city either left the island or prepared personal bunkers beneath the city. At a moment's notice the entire city could be evacuated, and the Fire Lord could command the army from inside the island's volcano.

Extra security was placed around the capital prison, just in case spies tried to locate the Avatar. But they never noticed Toph earthbending a tunnel underneath the prison, leading directly to the palace. She worked slowly over the weeks to prevent anyone from hearing the earth move beneath them. With only one day left until the invasion Toph finished her work on the tunnel, allowing Katara to visit Aang without having to sneak past the guards.

Beneath Aang's cell, Toph metalbended the cell floor into a trapdoor. When Toph was almost done she felt Katara approach through the tunnel. Katara was carrying a hot meal on a tray for Aang, using her firebending to keep the food warm.

"What's on the menu?" Toph asked.

"Rice, fresh bread, and some hot peppers" Katara answered. With the tray in one hand and a blue flame in the other Katara looked up at Toph's work. "Is everything ready?"

"Yup. I can get in and get Aang out without anyone hearing a thing" Toph bragged.

"Good" Katara said. "Once Aang's out and through this tunnel you'll have to break out Sokka and Iroh the old fashioned way."

"About time I get to bust some heads" Toph said, punching a fist into her palm.

"I'm sure you'll have fun with that" Katara said. "Can you open the door please."

"Sure" Toph said. She reached up to metalbend the door open and slowly lower it down on new hinges. Then she stomped her foot on the ground to earthbend a stone ladder for Katara to climb up. "There you go."

"Thanks" Katara said. She climbed up the ladder into Aang's cell. When she caught a glimpse of Aang's condition she didn't speak for a moment.

"What is it?" Aang asked.

"You have hair" Katara said.

Aang ran his fingers through the short hair on his head. "The guards won't let me shave it off" Aang complained. "I didn't even notice it growing until after your last visit."

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back here" Katara said, handing over the food to Aang. "I've been busy preparing for the invasion."

"So what's the plan?" Aang asked.

Katara pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it into a small map. "This will lead you to the Fire Lord's secret bunker beneath the palace" Katara said. "Just wait outside the bunker doors until you can't firebend anymore, and you should have no problem defeating him."

"Is there anything else I need to know before the invasion?" Aang asked while eating some rice.

"Yes, we have a bit of a problem" Katara said. "The other day I had to inspect some minister's project."

"I'm not going to like where this is is going, am I?" Aang asked, taking a bite out of the bread.

"Aang, they're building airships" Katara said.

Immediately Aang started choking on the bread he was chewing on. After taking a moment to clear his throat he said "What!"

"Remember that balloon Sokka and the Mechanist used back at the Northern Air Temple?" Katara asked. "Well the Fire Nation recovered it after the crash and went nuts with the idea."

"This is bad, this is very bad" Aang said.

"I'll do what I can to keep those ships on the ground for as long as possible" Katara said. "You just focus on defeating the Fire Lord."

"Okay" Aang said. He finished his meal and handed the tray back to Katara.

"I should be going" Katara said. "There's a war meeting today and it will look suspicious if I don't show up on time."

Katara climbed down the ladder into the tunnel. Toph shut the trapdoor and metalbended it to appear invisible from above. Katara placed the map she showed Aang beneath the trapdoor for him to find. With Aang up to date on the plan, Katara walked through the tunnel to attend the war meeting.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In a stolen canoe Azula, Ursa, and Haru sailed across the Fire Nation seas. Azula was bending the water around the canoe, propelling it as fast as she could without tipping it over. But with the seas stretching out to every horizon, it appeared that they weren't making any distance at all. The only thing keeping Azula on course for the capital was the morning sun behind her, and that they would inevitably reach the capital island by simply heading east.

While watching Azula waterbend, Haru was sitting in the back of the canoe. He was bored with how long the trip was taking. "Are we there yet?" he asked.

"No" Ursa said, not bothering to look away from polishing her green oni mask.

"Are we there yet?" Haru asked again.

"No" Azula said, still focusing on her bending.

"Are we there yet?" Haru asked yet again.

"No" Ursa and Azula said at the same time.

"Are we..."

"YES!" Azula said, spotting an island on the horizon.

An hour later the canoe reached the island. Most of the coast was steep cliffs and a small beach in a bay. Haru earthbended a ledge at the bottom of a cliff and used it to elevate everyone to the top. Exhausted from the waterbending, Azula let herself collapse onto the grass on the island. To Haru's disappointment, the island was uninhabited except for wild koala-sheep.

"Where are we?" Haru asked.

Ursa looked around, examining the vegetation and the koala-sheep. "I think this is the Black Cliffs" Ursa said. "If we had a proper ship we could reach the capital in a few hours from here."

"Just let me rest for a bit and we'll head out" Azula said. "The eclipse is tomorrow and we can't afford to miss it."

"So what's the plan?" Haru asked.

"I don't know yet" Azula admitted. _I'll have to ditch you at some point_ she thought. Azula knew that Haru would never cooperate with her once he knew her true intentions.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

High above the clouds, a sky bison flew with the winds out of the northeast. Appa was flying faster than normal, only carrying the burden of one passenger instead of the usual four. In Appa's saddle Suki guided him, but was bored out of her mind. With nothing better to do during the long flight, Suki examined a small glass vial she kept on a string around her neck.

The Northern Water Tribe had welcomed Suki into their city when they recognized Appa. Despite disappointment among the people when they didn't see the Avatar, they allowed her to stay for a few days. Chief Arnook had been skeptical when Suki explained what happened to Katara, but acknowledged that the properties of spirit water had never been tested. He allowed Suki to take one vial of spirit water, and wouldn't let her have any more unless the Avatar asked him directly.

"Who would think something so plain can cause so much trouble?" Suki said to herself.

Appa roared, as though he agreed with Suki.

"You miss Aang, don't you?" Suki asked.

Appa grunted and nodded his head.

Suki looked over the edge of Appa's saddle, observing the expanse of ocean in all directions. "I just wish I knew where we were supposed to meet up with Aang" she said.

With a short snort, Appa just kept flying.

"Nobody tells you anything either" Suki said. She pulled out a map from Sokka's green bag he left with her for safekeeping. The map had been crudely drawn by Zuko before Suki left the others behind. On it was the location of an island Hakoda was supposed to launch the invasion from. "I guess we'll just meet up with Hakoda and see what happens."

Appa gradually descended from the high altitude, giving Suki a better view of where they were. She spotted an island in the distance with steep cliffs and a bay. There weren't any other islands in sight, just like map indicated. "This must be the place" Suki muttered.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The war meeting in the palace had been scheduled to begin in the late morning, and Katara had arrived exactly when she was expected. For some reason Katara couldn't fathom, Zuko didn't arrive on time and the Fire Lord refused to start the meeting until Zuko showed up. A servant was sent out to find Zuko and escort him to the meeting, and when he arrived around noon the meeting began properly.

Katara was sitting at Ozai's left while Zuko's seat was at Ozai's right. There were eight generals sitting around a large map of the Earth Kingdom, all having to look up at the Fire Lord. The generals had wanted to start the meeting on schedule, but knew better than to object to Ozai's desire for Zuko to be present. Once Zuko had bowed to Ozai and taken his seat the Fire Lord started the war meeting.

"General Shinu, your report" Ozai said.

"Thank you sir" Shinu said. He stood up and started walking around the map. "As we speak our forces are massing on Ba Sing Se's very doorstep. The Earth Kingdom's new leader has withdrawn nearly all Earth Kingdom forces from the rest of the continent, abandoning it in favor of protecting that single stronghold."

"What is your recommendation?" Ozai asked.

"They're up to something, concentrating all of their forces in one place" Shinu said. "Our scouts haven't been able to locate their soldiers once they retreated behind the wall nearly three weeks ago. I recommend that we use our airships to bypass the walls and crush Ba Sing Se immediately after the eclipse passes."

Ozai gave a slight nod, then turned his head towards Katara. "Azula, you've been inside Ba Sing Se. What do you suspect their plan is?"

With all eyes on her, Katara quickly made up something she thought would sound convincing. "It's a trap. Having their entire army in one location makes an appealing target, but they want us to attack when they are at their best."

"A final stand for the Earth Kingdom, to inflict as many casualties as they can before they perish" Ozai said. He turned his head to his right. "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Would a victory over such a stand end their defiance?"

"The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong" Zuko said. "They can endure anything, as long as they have hope."

"Yes, you're right" Ozai said. "We need to destroy their hope."

"Well that's not exactly what I meant" Zuko said.

"It's not like we can simply burn it all to the ground" Katara said sarcastically.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea" Ozai said. He stood up and slowly walked towards the map. "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us, and on that day it will endow us with the strength and power of hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."

"What are you suggesting sir?" Shinu asked from the other side of the map.

With all eyes on him, Ozai continued his monologue. "When the Comet last came my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now I will use it to wipe out the Earth Kingdom, permanently."

Ozai stepped onto the map, stopping in the middle with the generals all around him. "From our airships we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything, and out of the ashes a new world will be born. A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am the supreme ruler of everything."

Katara couldn't hide the horror she felt during Ozai's declaration, but only Zuko took his eyes off Ozai to see it. _What have I done? _Katara thought over and over, guilt stricken for making a comment that sparked a potential genocide.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

While Azula rested from her efforts earlier, Ursa made a stew out of a koala-sheep. Haru practiced his earthbending alone while Ursa cooked, leaving her alone with Azula. Bored out of her mind, Azula found nothing better to do than talk with Ursa.

"Do you have anything in mind for when we arrive?" Azula asked.

"I have to make things right" Ursa answered.

"And how would you do that?" Azula asked.

Ursa turned her attention away from her cooking to look at her green oni mask. "I've been hiding for too long" she said.

"You didn't have much of a choice" Azula said. "Father takes banishment seriously."

"I should have been there for you" Ursa said.

"Yes you should have" Azula said. She sat up to look at Ursa. "Do you know what you'll have to do?"

"Agni Kai" Ursa stated, turning back to her cooking. "It's the only way I can make your father let me stay now."

"You would lose" Azula said. She knew how powerful Ozai was, and no one could beat him in firebending. More than once Azula had wondered if she could do it, but knew that even with her old body she wasn't strong enough to pull it off. "He would kill you."

"Not before I make my point to him" Ursa said. Using a ladle she sampled the koala-sheep stew, judging it to be ready.

"What could you possibly say to him in the middle of a fight?" Azula asked.

"The fight itself will be the point" Ursa said, pouring some of the stew into a bowl. "It was how I met your father."

"You met him in an Agni Kai?" Azula asked while taking the bowl from Ursa. "I thought your marriage was an arranged one."

"You're uncle's marriage was arranged, being the firstborn" Ursa corrected. "Ozai wanted someone that had strong firebending to pass on to his heirs."

"Someone like you" Azula asked, then ate some of her stew.

Ursa filled another bowl of stew for herself. "He used to hold private Agni Kais, fighting any woman that wanted to marry him. My brother found out about them and pressured me to try."

"And you won" Azula said, finishing her stew.

"No" Ursa corrected. "But I almost did, and that was enough to satisfy him." She ate a bit of the stew. "If I'm right, another Agni Kai will remind him of the better times we had back then. Of what he was like before he became Fire Lord."

"What if it doesn't work?" Azula asked.

Ursa hesitated to speak, just long enough for her to notice a shadow pass between her and Azula. Looking up she spotted the underside of a six legged beast above them. "What in the world?" Ursa wondered.

Azula turned her attention upward, and recognized the sky bison. She could see it descending towards the farther side of the island, ignorant of the people beneath it. "Why is that thing here?" Azula questioned.

"You know what it is?" Ursa asked, having never seen a sky bison before.

"It's the Avatar's bison" Azula answered. "But if the Avatar is at the capital, then who's guiding it here?"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Suki brought Appa down for a landing on the far side of the island, near some bushes for Appa to graze on. Once they were on the ground Suki jumped out of the saddle and walked beside Appa, stretching her limbs after the long flight. While Appa ate the bushes Suki chewed on some seal jerky she brought from the North Pole, wondering what to do until Hakoda arrived.

"One of these days I'm going to have to tie up Sokka and make him tell me everything that's going on" Suki said.

Appa grunted and resumed his grazing.

"Look at me, talking to something that can't talk back" Suki said. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I should have brought someone from the North Pole with us."

Appa looked at Suki and shook his head.

"You're smarter than you look, aren't you?" Suki asked.

Appa didn't respond, but walked over to a fresh bush.

"I need someone that can talk back" Suki said.

Suddenly Appa stopped grazing and sniffed the air. Before Suki could wonder what scent Appa found she felt a faint ripple shake through the ground, so small that she would have missed it if she was having a proper conversation. Appa followed the scent he found, leading Suki towards the center of the island. As they walked Suki noticed the vibrations grow stronger, but lack a distinct pattern. Walking around a small hill Suki found the source of the vibrations, a teenager earthbending boulders into the side of the hill.

"Hello there" Suki said, startling the stranger.

"Who are..." he started to say, but then spotted the sky bison around the corner. "Appa!"

Appa jumped over Suki and pounced onto the boy, pinning his legs down long enough for Appa to lick his face.

"He seems to like you" Suki said as Appa got off him. "What's your name?"

"Haru" he said.

"I'm Suki" she said and helped Haru get up. "What's an earthbender doing here so deep in the Fire Nation?"

"Well I'm trying to help rescue Aang" Haru said. He patted on Appa's head. "This will be so much easier with Appa here."

"Yea, flying is the best way to travel" Suki said. "Is there anyone else on this island that I don't know about?"

"Of course, I'll introduce you" Haru said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

After the war meeting ended Katara walked to her room. She dismissed the servants and shut herself inside. Katara couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the war meeting, and how the stakes for winning the war went through the roof. If the plan to defeat Ozai failed, an entire continent would be destroyed. Going through all the options in her mind, only one outcome would guarantee victory. Fire Lord Ozai had to die.

_Aang would never do it _Katara thought, kneeling in the light of a single candle. She knew Aang was too innocent, too young, to intentionally kill someone. It went against everything Aang had told her about Air Nomad beliefs.

A knock on the door took Katara out of her thoughts. "Come in" Katara said.

The door opened and Toph walked inside. "You wanted to see me" Toph said.

"Close the door" Katara asked.

Toph shut the door and locked it. "Something big changed during that meeting, didn't it?"

"Yes" Katara said. "And I'm not sure if our plan will be enough to handle it."

"If it works everything will be fine after tomorrow" Toph said. "Unless someone else figured out what's going on I don't see how things could get any worse."

Katara stood up and walked up to Toph. "I don't think Aang can finish the plan" Katara whispered.

"Why not?" Toph asked.

Stepping away from Toph, Katara stopped just in front of the only lit candle. "How long did you fight back in Gaoling?"

"Two years, why?" Toph asked.

"Did you ever finish a fight, permanently?"

"Almost, once" Toph said. "It was my first fight after learning earthbending. I was careless and nearly crushed my opponent's legs."

"Would you ever do it on purpose?" Katara asked, turning away from the candle. "Or would you ask someone else to do it?"

"No" Toph said.

"I see" Katara said. She thought about what she would have to do. "I'm about to step over that line."

Instantly Toph realized what Katara had in mind. "Are you certain?"

"There's no other way" Katara said. "I can't ask Aang to kill him."

"Is it really necessary?" Toph said.

"Yes" Katara said.

"Can I do anything to help?" Toph asked.

"Just make sure Aang gets through this in one piece" Katara said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Azula and Ursa hurried across the island, heading for where the sky bison landed. As they ran Azula tried to guess who could have brought the sky bison here. The Avatar was somewhere in the capital along with her imposter and brother. It couldn't be the blind earthbender, for obvious reasons. Only Sokka was left that could guide the bison, as far as Azula could tell.

_I can beat him easily _Azula thought. The only possible threat from him could come from revealing her intentions to Haru. That outcome could be easily avoided by beating him before Haru could see and hiding the body.

Halfway across the island Azula caught a sight she didn't expect. Haru was walking towards her alongside a girl with the sky bison behind them. _Who is this girl? _Azula wondered, not recognizing anything about her. But she did notice the stranger recognizing Azula as Haru led the way.

Immediately Suki threw her fist back directly into Haru's face, knocking him out and eliminating a possible enemy. The blow filled Suki's hand with pain as Haru hit the ground, and for a few seconds Suki tried to shake the pain out of her hand. "This just had to be a trap" Suki muttered.

Azula bended water out of the air and into ice darts to throw at Suki. Before the ice darts could reach their target Appa jumped over Suki and landed in the way. The ice darts hit Appa but didn't penetrate his fur. Appa roared at Azula, blowing wind at her and Ursa. The wind pushed them back while Suki ran around Appa.

_The _one_ time the bison puts up a fight _Azula thought. She bent water out of a nearby tree and threw it at Appa. Before impact she froze the water into spears of ice, but even those failed to wound Appa. The sky bison pounced on Azula, pinning her down.

Ursa threw several fireblasts at Appa, setting his fur on fire. The flames reached burned his skin, the pain forcing him off Azula. Rolling onto his side Appa put the flames out, then leaped into the air as Ursa threw more fireblasts at him. While Ursa kept Appa at bay, Azula focused her attention on Suki.

"Just you and me, whoever you are" Azula said. She created a waterwhip and threw it at Suki, but missed as Suki ducked underneath it.

Suki ran towards Azula, ducking and dodging more attacks. As Suki closed in Azula bent water onto the ground in front of her and froze it. Slipping on the ice, Suki fell and slid into Azula toppling her over. The two girls quickly got back up, but Suki was able to strike first. She punched Azula's chin, making her stumble backward. Azula rubbed her jaw for a bit and smiled.

"You're good for someone that doesn't bend" Azula admitted.

"Kyoshi warriors don't need to bend" Suki said. She threw more punches, but kept getting blocked by Azula's arms.

While deflecting one of Suki's punches Azula bent some water onto her hand. Making a fist she froze the water into ice and punched Suki in the face with it. The ice on Azula's fist shattered as the blow knocked Suki over. As Suki hit the ground Azula bent water over Suki's limbs and froze them to the ground.

"You never stood a chance against me" Azula said, watching Suki struggle against the ice. She crouched next to Suki. "Of all the people I've imprisoned, I think you could be my favorite."

"Well don't I feel special" Suki said.

Azula grabbed Suki's throat and slightly squeezed it, just to shut her up for a moment. Right when Azula was about to let go she felt a string brush her finger. She grabbed the string and pulled on it, sliding a blue vial out of Suki's shirt. Instantly Azula recognized the vial, an exact double of the vial she found on Katara nearly three months ago.

Where did you get this?" Azula demanded as she yanked the vial away from Suki. When Suki couldn't respond Azula bent some water onto Suki's throat to heal it. "Tell me how you got this?"

"From the source" Suki said.

Azula stood up and kicked Suki, then walked away from her. "Mom, we're leaving, now!" She shouted as she left Suki behind. Ursa stopped throwing fire at Appa, who immediately landed next to Suki. The beast stood guard over Suki as Azula and Ursa walked away.

Walking beside Azula, Ursa looked back at the battlefield. "What about Haru?" Ursa asked.

"Leave him, he's dead weight now" Azula said. She tied the vial's string around her neck, keeping it close for safe keeping.

Ursa wondered what was in the vial. "What is that?" she asked.

"Leverage" Azula answered with a smile on her face.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Over a few hours the ice binding Suki melted enough to let her break free. Angry over losing the spirit water, she took out her frustration on the koala-sheep. When half a dozen koala-sheep were slain Suki noticed Haru waking up. She walked over to him as he stood up, one hand rubbing his nose.

"What hit me?" Haru asked.

"Me" Suki admitted. "To be honest, I thought you led me into a trap."

"Why would I do that?" Haru asked. "Katara would like you."

"By the way, that wasn't Katara" Suki said.

"What are you talking about?" Haru asked.

"Katara bumped into some Fire Nation girl, spirit water was involved, and some body switching happened" Suki explained.

"You do realize how crazy that sounds" Haru said.

"Yes, yes I do" Suki said.

Haru sighed and shook his head. "Well I suppose that explains why she didn't tell me anything" Haru said.

"I know how you feel" Suki said. She saw Appa walk over and lick Haru. "Looks like Appa understands too."

"So what happens now?" Haru asked while patting Appa's head.

"I haven't got a clue" Suki admitted. "I guess we just wait for the invasion force to arrive here."

"An invasion is coming here?" Haru asked.

Suki sighed and started explaining what she knew and how little of it she understood. She described how the invasion is going to be a diversion while Aang and the others defeat the Fire Lord from the inside. Last she described her role, making a detour to the North Pole to obtain more spirit water. Beyond that, Suki didn't know what else to explain.

"This sounds like something out of a fairy tale" Haru complained.

"Maybe I should start writing this stuff down" Suki wondered aloud.

"That would make it easier to keep up" Haru said. "And it would make a good story to tell your kids someday."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

As the sun set behind the Fire Nation palace, Katara walked through its halls. A small knife was hidden in her sleeve, intended for Ozai's throat to finish him quickly. Using the hidden passages in the palace, Katara headed for Ozai's personal chambers. In preparation for the invasion Ozai had retired to his chambers early, requiring as much rest as possible to handle the day ahead.

Once inside Katara slowly walked towards Ozai's bed. Even in the dark Katara could make out the curtains that surrounded the large bed, hiding Ozai within it. Without making any noise Katara reached the bed and slowly pulled back the curtain. Inside she found Ozai beneath a thick blanket, his breath slightly lifting the fabric. Katara drew the knife from her sleeve and plunged it into the man's throat.

_Its done _Katara thought as she let go of the knife.

Suddenly the lamps in the room were set aflame, nearly blinding Katara for a moment. From behind her Katara heard someone clapping slowly. Turning around she found the Fire Lord alive and well, giving slow applause.

"That was too predictable" Ozai said. He took a few steps towards Katara. "Did you really expect me to fall for the same trick your mother used on your grandfather?"

_It can't be… _Katara thought. She pulled back the cover on the bed behind her, and nearly screamed when she saw the face of War Minister Qin. Panicking for a moment, Katara immediately attacked Ozai with blue fireblasts. With his own fire Ozai easily deflected the attacks.

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice your treachery?" Ozai asked. "You've been plotting again, trying to claim my throne. It's obvious you planned to eliminate me, let Zuko reign long enough to surrender to the Avatar during the invasion, and then use your charms on the Avatar to make him leave the throne to you."

"Close enough" Katara muttered as she bent a stream of fire at Ozai. He deflected the attack with ease and took a few more steps towards Katara.

"I can suffer your treachery Azula, but not your incompetence!" Ozai yelled. He bent a large stream of fire at Katara, which she could barely divert with a wall of blue flames. "Treachery requires no mistakes."

Out of any other options, Katara charged a blast of lightning. As she used the circular arm motions Ozai recognized it and prepared his own lightning. While Katara had started first, Ozai was faster at charging lightning. Both fired at the same time, lightning colliding in between them. In a blinding flash and booming thunder the lightning arced away from the collision, striking metal objects in the room at random.

The flash left dark spots in Katara's vision, but she could still see warped and burned metal where lightning had struck. The bed behind Katara had been set on fire, along with the tapestries that hung on the walls. Katara's skin was numb and she couldn't feel her limbs, while her loose hair stood up on end. She could see that Ozai was similarly affected, even as she struggled to remain standing.

"You will suffer for this" Ozai declared. "The stars will hear your screams once I am finished with you."

"Not if I can help it" Katara said. She tried to move but fell as her legs collapsed beneath her.

Before Katara could recover guards rushed into the room, summoned by the sound of thunder. Some put out the fires while others restrained Katara. "Take her away" Ozai ordered. "Triple the guard at the prison." As the guards took Katara away Ozai looked at the ruined bed. "And get someone in here to clean up this mess."


	15. Fate and Fall

_A/N: Well here we are, the beginning of the end._

Chapter 15: Fate and Fall

Aang waited patiently in his cell, meditating in preparation to face his destiny. He could hear the guards just past the door, catching pieces of their conversations. Aang knew it was early morning when he heard one of the guards complain loudly about missing his breakfast. With his own belly rumbling Aang wondered whether or not he would have a chance to eat before fighting the Fire Lord.

A slight vibration in the floor brought Aang out of his meditation. He looked at the floor in front of him, directly at the hidden trapdoor he knew was there. In near silence the trapdoor opened and Aang saw Toph climb out of the tunnel below. Toph reached Aang and started breaking the chains with metalbending.

"Where's Katara?" Aang asked.

"Busy" Toph said as she worked. In under a minute she finished removing the chains that restrained Aang.

For a few moments Aang stretched his body, then jumped into the tunnel with Toph. He waited for Toph to close the trapdoor before running down the tunnel with her. "Has the invasion started?" Aang asked.

"Sometime in the next hour" Toph said. She stopped Aang at a lit lantern hanging halfway through the tunnel, then earthbended away a portion of the wall covering a few crates.

"What's in those?" Aang asked.

Toph opened one of the crates and retrieved a loaf of bread. "Here" Toph said and tossed it to Aang. "We can't have you fighting on an empty stomach."

"Thanks" Aang said just before he started eating. "What else do you got in there?"

Opening another crate Toph found a hair shaver with a mirror and handed them over. "It's not the one you used before, but it will get the job done."

"Whatever works" Aang said. He finished the bread and started shaving the hair off his head. Once he finished he ran his fingers over the smooth scalp. "Much better."

"How's your bending?" Toph asked, opening a jar with water in it.

Aang sent a gust of wind down the tunnel towards the prison, bent the water out of the jar and splashed the wall with it, pushed the other wall further away, then threw a fireblast down the tunnel away from the prison. "I'm a little rusty but the Avatar State will make up for it" Aang admitted.

"Good, now get moving" Toph said. "This tunnel goes right to the Fire Lord's bunker, you can't miss it."

"How will I know when the eclipse starts down here?" Aang asked.

"You're asking me?" Toph said.

"Oh right" Aang said. He lit a fire in his hand and held it in front of him. "I guess I'll just wait until I can't do this anymore."

"Just go already" Toph said. "I need to bust out the others before the guards know you're gone."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In his room Zuko prepared himself for the day. He put a cloak on over simple armor, leaving the royal equipment on a shelf in the corner. Picking up a pair of Dao swords Zuko made a few practice swings with them, and then sheathed both swords. As Zuko turned towards the door to leave he saw Mai standing in the doorway.

"You're still going through with this?" Mai asked.

"I have to" Zuko answered. He stared into Mai's eyes for a moment. "Are you going to stop me?"

Mai stared back for a moment, then stepped inside the room. "I should try to" she said. She walked up close to Zuko. "But I'm still mulling it over."

"You could just leave" Zuko suggested. "There's still enough time to get out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere" Mai said. She held up one of her knives. "Unlike you, the eclipse won't affect me. If anyone should be leaving it would be you."

"I have these" Zuko said, slightly unsheathing his swords. "I'll be fine."

"And what if you fail?" Mai asked. "What happens then?"

"We won't fail" Zuko said. He walked around Mai and started to leave.

"Zuko, wait" Mai said.

"What is it?" Zuko asked, looking back at Mai from the door.

Mai walked up to Zuko and stared into his eyes. On a whim she gave him a short kiss before saying "Good luck."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

From inside the bay of the black cliffs Suki and Haru waited for Hakoda to arrive. When a fog started to roll in over the horizon Suki observed it, wondering how it would affect the invasion. Just before the fog would have hit the island it dissipated, revealing a small fleet of Water Tribe ships. As the ships entered the bay Haru earthbended docks for the ships in the bay for the ships to use.

Hakoda was the first person off the ships, and spotted Suki immediately. "You made it" Hakoda said as he walked up to Suki. "Who's your friend?" he asked when he saw Haru behind Suki.

"Just someone I bumped into here" Suki said. "Hey, did you get the gear I need?"

"Of course" Hakoda said. He looked over to the nearest ship and saw Bato walking onto the pier, carrying a bundle of green clothing in his arms. "Kyoshi Island was our last stop on the way here."

"Thanks" Suki said. She took the clothes from Bato and unfolded them. Hidden in the folds were a pair of golden fans and a case of makeup.

While Suki put on her warrior's uniform Haru watched other people exit the ships. A group of waterbenders from the Foggy Swamp, the earthbenders that rescued King Kuei, a pair of freedom fighters, along with the Mechanist and his son. By the time everyone was off the ships and on the shore Suki was finished putting her uniform and makeup on.

With both fans in hand Suki practiced with them for a few minutes. "Like putting on an old glove" she muttered when she was satisfied with the new fans. She sheathed the fans and walked over to the crowd forming in front of Hakoda, about to address the troops.

"Let me make something completely clear" Hakoda said in front of everyone. "Our objective is to keep the Fire Nation's attention on us until the eclipse begins. We hit them hard and fast, causing as much havoc as we can to divert their efforts away from the palace. While their eyes are on this invasion the Avatar, who is already inside the capital, will strike from within and defeat the Fire Lord. Then, this war will be over."

As the crowd cheered Suki smiled. _One way or another, it all ends today _she thought.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In a bare cell Sokka's belly rumbled, demanding that he fill it with meat. On the wall were several scratch marks, each made by a piece of metal chipped off the floor. Sokka made one last scratch in the wall, marking the final day until the solar eclipse. All he could do now was wait for the eclipse to arrive and for someone to break him out of his cell.

Looking through the bars of his cell Sokka watched for anyone approaching. He heard slow footsteps just before spotting a female guard walk inside the room. She was carrying a tray and walked towards the cage holding Sokka.

"Lunchtime water tribe" the guard said.

"Thanks Ming" Sokka said.

"I snuck in a prime cut this time" Ming said as she set the tray on the floor. On the tray was a plate with steak on it and a cup of tea.

"Sweet" Sokka said as he took the meal. In between bites he asked "How's the General holding up?"

"Just fine" Ming said. "He told me to go home for the afternoon."

"Good advice" Sokka said, already finishing with the steak. "I'd hate to see something happen to my favorite prison guard."

"You wouldn't be planning something again?" Ming asked.

"Um…" Sokka grabbed the tea and gulped it down in one swig. "No, of course I'm not planning anything."

Ming could see Sokka crossing his fingers behind his back. "I'll see you tomorrow then" Ming said as she walked away from the cage.

Once Ming was gone the wall next to the cage peeled back like paper, revealing Toph. "Suki's not going to like your new friend" Toph said.

"Oh like they're ever going to meet each other" Sokka said. "Just get me out of here."

Toph walked over to the cage, grabbed a pair of bars and casually bent the gap between them wider. "I've already got Iroh out, let's go."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Deep below the capital's Fire Sage temple, a special prison cell existed among the catacombs. In a time long before the reign of Sozin, this cell was built to hold even the most powerful firebenders. It was intended to hold the Fire Lord himself, back when the Fire Sages shared power with him. When Fire Lord Azulon took the throne he ordered the cell destroyed, as a test of the Fire Sages' loyalty. They tried to carry out the order, but the metal lining the cell was too thick for even the Sages' combined power to damage.

Now the cell was occupied for the first time in centuries. Katara sat in a corner of the cell, left to rot inside it. The walls were scorched and warped, evidence of the attempt to destroy them. Rust covered the frame of the cell's door, nearly sealing it shut permanently. Only a blue flame in Katara's hand provided light in the cell.

Katara wasn't even trying to escape the cell, certain that once the eclipse was over one of her friends would come and get her out. All she could do was wait for the flame in her hand to go out when the eclipse begins.

_What's taking it so long? _Katara thought as she stared at the flame in her hand. It felt like hours had passed and yet the eclipse hadn't arrived. For a moment she wondered if she had already missed it.

A loud thump noise outside the cell caught Katara's attention, and she heard it again five more times. While wondering what was going on she heard the door unlock. Whoever was on the other side tried to push the door open, but struggled against the rusted hinges. After slamming their body against the door several times the door finally opened. Katara saw her rescuer fall to the floor as the door gave way.

"Ty Lee?" Katara questioned.

"Hey" Ty Lee said as she got up.

"What are you doing here?" Katara asked.

"Returning the favor" Ty Lee said as she dusted off her clothes. "You busted me out of prison, so I'm busting you out of this one."

"Fair enough" Katara said. She followed Ty Lee out of the cell, pausing for a moment to notice the paralyzed bodies of guards and Fire Sages just outside. "Has the eclipse happened already?" she asked.

"No" Ty Lee answered. "It should be here any minute now."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

On the western shore of the capital island a canoe rested in between a pair of large rocks, above the waves crashing into the steep terrain. The island's shadow covered the canoe's former occupants, now slowly climbing up the steep rocks that shielded the capital's western flank. Azula was climbing above Ursa, creating footholds by bending water into ice ledges.

Halfway up the cliffs Azula grabbed a rock above to pull herself up. But the rock broke off, almost taking her with it. She hung on one hand for a moment while her free hand felt for another handhold. "That could have been bad" Azula muttered.

"Are you alright?" Ursa asked from below.

"I'm fine" Azula said. She resumed the climb, spotting the top of the cliff.

Climbing the western side of the capital island had sounded a lot easier the previous day. Using the island's port would have pinned them between the invasion force and the defenders, and highly likely to get them both killed. Circling around the island in the canoe and getting in from the west had seemed like a good idea at the time. In hindsight Azula wished she'd come up with a better plan.

When Azula reached the top of the cliffs she was nearly exhausted. After pulling herself over the edge and onto the ground she helped pull Ursa up after her. Both of them sat down on the rock to rest for a moment before moving on. Looking to the west Azula could see the slope of the volcano the capital rested inside.

"Do you think the invasion has started yet?" Ursa asked.

"I can't tell from here" Azula admitted.

Ursa reached into her pocket and pulled out a few small crackers. "You should eat something before going further" Ursa said and tossed two of the crackers to Azula.

In a few short bites Azula ate the crackers, and could already feel her limbs start to recover from the climb. She stood up and stretched her arms for a few minutes. Looking around Azula observed the fortifications that ringed the island, but even from a distance she could tell that they were undermanned. It was clear that most of the soldiers had been redeployed to counter the invasion from the east.

"It should be easy for us to slip by the patrols on this side of the island" Azula said.

"No one's ever tried this before" Ursa said. "Every attack on this island in history came from the east."

"Exactly" Azula said, taking one last look around their position. "There's nowhere to attack _from_ west of…" her gaze stopped on the western horizon, spotting something where sea met sky.

Ursa turned to look at the horizon, and saw a dark shape come over it. At first she couldn't tell what it was, until several other shapes just like it appeared. "What in the world is that?" Ursa muttered.

In a heartbeat Azula realized that there was only one possibility. "Ships" she muttered. Trying to focus her vision on the horizon, she could make out the sails. Dark brown with a green symbol displayed on the fabric. "Earth Kingdom ships."

"The Earth Kingdom _has_ ships?" Ursa questioned.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Aboard the flagship of his new Earth Kingdom navy, Long Feng watched land appear in the eastern sea directly ahead. For a moment he had been wondering if he had miscalculated the distance between Ba Sing Se and the Fire Nation capital. He smiled as it appeared that his gamble had paid off, the fleet arriving just in time for the solar eclipse.

A few weeks prior Long Feng had realized that if he was to remain in power he'd have to find a way to end the war with the Fire Nation. When he theorized plans to accomplish the task he found the last set of orders the old Council of Five wanted Kuei to sign. The plans to invade the Fire Nation during the Day of Black Sun. After examining those plans Long Feng believed he could use it to end the war in his favor, by creating his own invasion during the Day of Black Sun.

Of course, he had to create a new invasion plan from scratch, thanks to his own coup compromising the secrecy of the original plans. Long Feng knew that sending his army across the continent would not be practical, uncertain if it could even reach the Fire Nation in time for the eclipse. Instead he took a gamble with his army, loading it onto secretly constructed ships and setting sail across the eastern seas, bypassing all of the forces the Fire Nation had in the Earth Kingdom.

The seas east of Ba Sing Se had never been charted, as well as the seas west of the Fire Nation. Unless an undiscovered land mass lay in between them, it was simple to sail from Ba Sing Se directly to the Fire Nation. The fleet had been hastily constructed, earthbending stone around wooden frames. The stone hulls had been specifically earthbended to be filled with tiny pockets of air, making the ships lighter than they appeared and buoyant in the water.

Long Feng turned towards one of the Dai Li aboard the flagship. "Tell the men below to prepare for landing" he ordered. "Signal the fleet to begin _our_ invasion."

As the Dai Li carried out the order Long Feng looked at the land approaching ahead. He wondered how prepared the Fire Nation would be to an attack from the west. With dozens of ships behind him, Long Feng was confident that by the end of the day the Fire Lord himself would sign a treaty of surrender in his own palace.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Aang followed the tunnel from his cell all the way to the end, ignoring several side passages Toph had made to reach other places in the capital. At the tunnel's end was a slab of rock only two inches thick, thin enough to barely hear what was on the other side. Aang listened as someone inside gave many orders, but couldn't tell who it was.

_If only I knew Ozai's voice _Aang thought as he listened. Not once had Ozai come to gloat over Aang in that cell. As Aang listened he heard footsteps behind him, and turned around to see Zuko arriving.

"Is my father in there?" Zuko asked.

"I can't tell" Aang admitted.

Zuko pressed his ear against the rock and listened for a few minutes. "That's him alright" Zuko said. "And there must be at least a dozen soldiers in there with him."

"Are they all firebenders?" Aang asked.

"We won't know until we get in there" Zuko said. "I'm sure he has some skilled with weapons."

For a moment Aang wished he still had his staff with him. "Well at least you're good with those swords" Aang said, glancing at Zuko.

"Not as good as I'd like to be" Zuko said.

"Hey I remember when you took out dozens of guys with just those swords" Aang said. "Speaking of that time, what happened to that mask you wore then?"

"I threw it away" Zuko said.

"Oh" Aang said. "You looked a lot cooler with it on."

"This really isn't the time to talk about my fashion sense" Zuko said.

"Right" Aang said. He lit a flame in his hand. "The eclipse still isn't here yet."

"Put that out" Zuko said.

"Why?" Aang asked.

"Trust me, you'll feel it when the sun is blotted out" Zuko said.

Aang put out the flame in his hand. "If you say so" he said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In a separate series of tunnels Toph led Sokka and Iroh away from the prison. Iroh lit the way for Sokka as Toph ran in front, only she knew where the tunnels led. When it appeared that they reached a dead end Sokka was about to complain, but didn't when Toph demolished the wall with earthbending. Sunlight rushed into the tunnel as the dust cleared, and all three of them stepped outside.

"I never thought I'd miss the sun so much" Sokka said. He took a moment to bathe in the light before looking around. He found himself on the slope of the volcano, high above the island's port. On the horizon he could see the Great Gates of Azulon, lit by the flaming net used to block entry.

"It would appear that the invasion is underway" Iroh said when he saw the gates aflame.

Looking at the port Sokka could barely make out troops and tanks rushing into battle, the distance making them look like scurrying ants. "Let's make the climb up here easier for them" Sokka suggested.

"Yes, time to kick some Fire Nation butt" Toph said. "Present company excluded of course."

"Of course" Iroh said.

Toph bent the earth beneath their feet, making it rise up and carry them down the volcano. Iroh threw fireblasts at unsuspecting soldiers along the path up the slope, taking them out before anyone could react. The moving earth followed the main road on the slope, striking battlements in the way and demolishing their foundations.

Assisted by gravity Toph's moving earth smashed through every defense the Fire Nation had placed on the slope. The defenses were designed to block attacks moving up the volcano, never intended to withstand force applied in the opposite direction. Soldiers that got out of Toph's way were taken out by Iroh's fire. The occasional soldier would manage to leap onto the moving earth, only to be attacked and beaten by Sokka.

In half an hour they reached the bottom of the volcano and headed for the lower plaza by the port. The invasion force was already driving the troops back, directly into Toph and Iroh's attacks. Soldiers retreating around the plaza's main tower were hit with flames and stone, throwing the Fire Nation forces into chaos.

Toph ran up to the base of the tower and punched the foundations. The blow earthbended cracks into the tower's stone, and with repeated strikes the tower couldn't support its own weight. "TIMBER!" Toph yelled as the tower collapsed. As debris fell everywhere Toph bent a shield of rock over her, Iroh, and Sokka, protecting them while the soldiers were struck down.

When the tower finished collapsing Toph removed her rock shield and climbed onto the rubble. Sokka and Iroh quickly followed, coughing in the dust still settling on every surface. The dust took several minutes to clear, and when it did Sokka saw the invasion force. Everyone present stared at the rubble, and the three people on it.

"Hi" Sokka said, holding up one hand.

Immediately Hakoda ran ahead of the other warriors and hugged his son. "I missed you, son" Hakoda said.

As the rest of the invasion forces secured the position Suki walked up to Sokka. "Was this another part of the plan you didn't tell me about?" Suki asked.

"Actually Toph came up with this on the way down here" Sokka said. Then he noticed that Suki was back in her Kyoshi Warrior uniform. "I have to admit, I kind of missed the face paint."

Just behind Suki was Haru, who waved at Sokka. "Hey, how've you been Sokka" Haru said.

"Haru, good to see you" Sokka said. Then he whispered into Suki's ear "Does he know about Katara?"

"He learned about it the hard way" Suki answered.

"Oh" Sokka said. "Well then Haru, is there anything we need to go over regarding my sister's situation?"

"I got enough for now" Haru said. "Give me the detailed version when this is over."

"Deal" Sokka said. He turned towards Hakoda. "The way up to the volcano has been cleared."

Hakoda nodded. "Everyone, let's move" he ordered.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Katara and Ty Lee quickly left the Fire Sage temple, entering the capital city. Once Katara's eyes adjusted to the sunlight she noticed that the city was empty. The residents of the city had all retreated to bunkers beneath their homes, waiting for the invasion to come and be repelled. Only a meager handful of soldiers remained above ground, meant to slow down invaders during the eclipse.

With barely any resistance Katara and Ty Lee quickly arrived at the clearing around the palace. A wall surrounded the palace, requiring the two girls to move around it to reach the gate leading inside. Half a dozen guards were at the gate, and spotted the girls coming from their left. Katara threw blue fireblasts that took out two of the guards before they could react. Ty Lee leaped over Katara and paralyzed two more guards.

The remaining two guards were about to fight back, drawing swords instead of firebending. Before Katara could attack one of the guards was struck in the back with fire. The other was knocked forward by a stream of water which froze him to the ground. Katara looked for the source of the attacks, and approaching from the opposite side of the gate was Azula and a woman Katara didn't recognize.

"Lady Ursa?" Ty Lee questioned, barely recognizing her.

"Ty Lee, get away from that imposter now!" Azula ordered.

"Don't listen to her" Katara said. "You're better than she is."

"You're no traitor Ty Lee" Azula said.

"She doesn't care about you" Katara argued. "She never did."

Ty Lee looked back and forth between Katara and Azula, uncertain what to do. She didn't want to fight either of them. "I'm sorry" Ty Lee said and then ran through the open gate towards the palace.

"Coward!" Azula yelled. Then she turned to Ursa for a moment. "Go ahead, I'll catch up."

Ursa nodded and ran through the open gate. She followed Ty Lee into the palace, letting her lead the way through it. Part of her wanted to observe how the interior had changed since she left, but Ursa knew she didn't have time to waste on such trivial matters. Keeping pace with Ty Lee through the palace Ursa saw her use one of the entrances to the tunnels beneath the palace.

The few guards that patrolled the tunnels were speechless when they saw Ursa, finding the rightful Fire Lady returning after so long. By the time they realized they should arrest Ursa she was already past them and on her way to the lowest levels. Ursa didn't stop running until she reached the final passage before the Fire Lord's personal bunker, finding Ty Lee meeting with Mai in front of the door.

At first Ursa didn't recognize Mai, since Mai couldn't hide her surprise at seeing Ursa. Within seconds Mai's face returned to the expressionless state that Ursa remembered. "Get out of my way" Ursa requested.

"Do you have a death wish?" Mai asked. "You're going to be killed just for being here."

"I know what I'm doing" Ursa said.

"You're going to ruin everything in there" Ty Lee said. "Just go while you still can."

"There's no turning back for me" Ursa said. "I have to face him now."

Mai considered stopping Ursa with force, but then took a few steps to the side. When Ty Lee looked at her Mai said "We're already harboring spies and traitors, might as well add fugitives."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

From the lower plaza the invasion forces advanced towards the volcano. The Fire Nation forces in the way had already started to regroup after Toph and Iroh's rampage through the defenses and were slowing down the advancing forces. The battlements may have been broken, but the soldiers continued to defend the only road large enough for the invasion to use on the volcano's slopes.

Hakoda continued to lead the invasion, giving orders while Bato watched the rear. The few earthbenders the invasion had focused on taking out the tanks the Fire Nation deployed, using tanks of their own designed by the Mechanist. Appa carried Iroh above the others, allowing him to rain fire down upon the enemy below.

Sokka helped coordinate the invasion's advancement, covering parts that Hakoda couldn't manage. Suki stayed close to him, fending off any soldiers that penetrated the warriors around them. As Sokka saw Appa fly by overhead he watched Hakoda order the invasion to advance on the road leading up the volcano's slope.

"We're almost there!" Sokka shouted, trying to boost morale.

"How much longer until we reach the top?" Suki asked.

"Ten minutes at most" Sokka said. He looked at a small timing device the Mechanist built. "We'll get there just in time for the eclipse."

At that moment soldiers higher up the volcano pushed boulders down the slope, rolling straight for the invasion. Toph got in the way and shattered the boulders with earthbending. She was about to get back on the offensive when she hesitated, her feet picking up strange vibrations. Placing one hand on the ground Toph tried to make better sense of what the vibrations were telling her.

"Oh this is not good" Toph said.

"What is it?" Sokka asked.

A sudden rumble through the road answered Sokka. At the far side of the slope he saw the earth move in sync with another quake, forming a wide path around the slope. The new road had a shallower incline than the road the invasion was using, and Sokka judged that it would have to spiral around the volcano a few times to reach the top. Another quake shook the slopes and Sokka saw the new path extend towards the road, and would intersect with it just above where the invasion was advancing.

Sokka and Suki ran for the front of the invasion, trying to get a better view of what was happening. Marching up the new path was an army, Earth Kingdom soldiers in formation flanked by Dai Li. Two dozen Dai Li moved in front of the marching soldiers, and in unison they earthbended the slope of the volcano to extend their path further around the volcano.

"How in the world did _they_ get here?" Sokka questioned.

"You mean this _isn't_ part of some plan you didn't tell me about?" Suki asked.

"INCOMING!" Bato yelled, trying to warn everyone of a barrage of boulders he saw the newcomers earthbend at them.

Toph quickly bent shields of rock from the road, assisted by the few earthbenders with her. They blocked most of the barrage, but the few boulders that got through disrupted the invasion's formation. As everyone regrouped the Dai Li continued to extend the new path up the volcano, breaking through the road and cutting off the invasion's advancement.

"Why are they attacking us?" Hakoda asked.

Sokka shrugged. "Maybe Long Feng wants all the glory for himself?"

Another barrage of rock fell on the invasion, barely diverted by Toph and her earthbenders. They bent rock from the slope into an overhang above the invasion, providing cover for everyone. The Dai Li attempted to break apart the overhang, but Toph and the earthbenders below kept it intact. Above the overhang Iroh threw fire at the Dai Li from Appa, trying to distract them.

"We're pinned down" Hakoda said.

Suki looked at Sokka. "Please tell me you've got something we can do?" she asked.

"Sorry, I'm out of ideas" Sokka admitted.

"Then find one soon!" Toph yelled, still bending the rock overhang. "I can't hold this forever!"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Alone in front of the palace, Katara and Azula faced each other. The few moments after Ursa left seemed to stretch for an eternity, both girls waiting for the other to make a move. Only a gentle breeze made any noise outside, even as they prepared to fight. With no signs of any invaders reaching the summit of the volcano, they had the entire city for a battlefield.

"So Katara, it all comes down to you and me" Azula said, taking a waterbending stance. "Or should I say, you and you?"

"It's too late for you to change anything happening here today" Katara said, taking a firebending stance. "The invasion is on its way and you can't help Ozai."

"Oh I'm not here for dear old dad" Azula said. "I'm here for you."

"Really now?" Katara asked. "Then come and get me."

In a heartbeat Azula sprinted towards Katara, bending water from the air around her left fist. Katara rushed towards Azula, bending blue flames around her right fist. At the same time both punched with their elements, Azula's water grazing over Katara's fire. The water and fire combined into steam, leaving only two fists that struck both combatants in the face.

Recovering immediately Katara moved to hit Azula with a fireblast, but just before the blue fire formed Azula deflected Katara's arm, sending the blue fire into the air. In a few seconds Azula bent water around her free arm to strike, but Katara interrupted the motions and deflected the water attack into the ground. Azula collected more water while Katara created new flames, repeatedly attempting to strike at point blank range. Neither could get make a hit while deflecting the other's attacks.

At the same time Azula struck with water while Katara made a blast of blue fire, the two elements clashing head on. The steam that formed rapidly expanded, the force and heat pushing the two away from each other. Katara shaped blue flames into a blade along her arm and ran towards Azula, using the fireblade to deflect water thrown at her. Azula bent water into sharp ice along her arm, deliberately mirroring her opponent. The elemental blades clashed, steam rising as fire and ice struggled against each other.

Katara pushed down on Azula's iceblade, feeding more energy into her flames to keep them alive. She could see Azula concentrating on keeping the ice intact, adding more water to sustain it. Close enough to see the whites of her enemy's eyes, Katara noticed the string around Azula's neck. Her eyes followed the string, spotting the blue vial almost hidden beneath Azula's shirt.

"You had that all along!" Katara yelled.

"I took it from one of your friends yesterday" Azula said. When she saw Katara's eyes widen in alarm she said "Oh don't worry about her, I left as soon as I had this."

Katara pulled away from Azula and extinguished her flames. "Then what are you waiting for?" Katara asked. "Let's repeat the accident and get back in the right bodies."

"Not just yet" Azula said. She melted her iceblade and threw the water at Katara, hitting her in the chest and tossing her back. "I need to wait for the right moment."

"What moment?" Katara said as she recovered.

"One that I can kill you immediately after" Azula said. "I'll be me again and your friends will think I'm you. And when Sozin's Comet comes I'll kill Aang and all your other friends with him."

The thought of Azula killing her friends enraged Katara. She threw her fists behind her, blasting blue flames away and using the thrust to quickly close in on Azula. Katara rammed into Azula, pushing her away from the palace towards the buildings of the city. Azula's back slammed into the side of a house, and before she could recover Katara punched her hard enough to knock her down to the ground.

Katara slammed her foot on Azula face, pinning her down. Her anger fed heat through her foot, into the shoe she wore and burning Azula's face. Thrashing in pain, Azula bent a whip of water which grabbed Katara's head and yanked her away. With her vision a blurry mess Azula quickly bent some water to her face, trying to quickly heal it. Only her eyes healed in time to see Katara punch Azula's face again.

Pressing her advantage, Katara repeatedly struck Azula. With several punches to the face and a few to the gut, Katara attacked until Azula fell backward in pain. Planting her foot on top of Azula's chest, Katara prepared to finish the fight. Azula stared into Katara's eyes, quickly realizing that her life was about to end.

"You can't do this" Azula said. "It goes against everything you stand for."

Looking down at Azula, Katara thought about what she had to do. She thought about taking the spirit water and using it to get her original body back. But that was exactly what Azula wanted, and switching now would leave Katara in the defeated body. She'd be vulnerable to Azula, and with no one around to see the switch Azula would be able to fool everyone again.

_And I'd have to prove myself to everyone all over again _Katara thought. And it would be even harder than the first time, since her friends would be suspicious of her. _Never again._

"It can't end like this" Azula said.

"On the contrary" Katara said. She pulled her fist back, readying a fireblast. "I could not have allowed this to end otherwise."

Azula watched Katara's arm move forward, the coming fireblast aimed for her head. At the last second she closed her eyes and waited for the heat of the fire. But she felt nothing, and slowly opened her eyes to see Katara's fist. There was no fire, only small wisps of smoke. Only then did Azula notice the shadow over both of them, and looked up to find the sun obscured by the moon.

The solar eclipse had arrived.

_A/N: Ah my first big cliffhanger. How did I do?_


	16. Reform and Rise

_A/N: __This is it, the climax of the story. It's fitting that this chapter is my longest yet, at over nine thousand words.__ I hope everyone enjoys what's in store here, since I took a bit of a gamble. You'll know it when you see it._

Chapter 16: Reform and Rise

A massive shadow covered the Fire Nation capital, the sun itself blotted out by the moon. Only a bright ring of light could be seen around the moon's silhouette, painful for the human eye to stare at. The solar eclipse had just begun, cutting off all firebenders from the source of their power. The eclipse will only last eight minutes, but a lot can happen in eight minutes.

In the nearly deserted city inside the volcano, Katara and Azula remained under the eclipse's shadow. Next to one of the houses closest to the palace, Azula was on her back while Katara pinned her down with a foot on Azula's chest. Katara had just tried to make a fireblast directly at Azula's head, but the eclipse had disabled her firebending the moment she tried to use it.

With only smoke rising from her fist, Katara felt the eclipse affect her. She felt cold on the inside, as if there had been a fire within her before that had been extinguished. Her strength was slipping away, and Katara just barely stopped herself from shivering. Even though it was the middle of summer, the temperature was dropping fast in the eclipse's shadow.

As Katara's power faded, Azula felt hers increasing. While the moon was dark in the sky, it was still the dominant body in the heavens. With the sun suppressed and the moon in plain view, Azula felt power within her similar to during a full moon. Azula reached forward with one arm, and Katara's arm twisted away. Katara tried to use her free arm to pull the other back, screaming in pain.

A smile spread across Azula's burned face. "How was it that you put it?" Azula asked. "'I could not have allowed this to end otherwise.'"

With a quick motion of her arm Azula yanked Katara off her and into the side of the nearby house. Azula stood up and bent some water to her face, quickly healing the burn before it could scar. Once her face was whole again Azula spotted Katara trying to run, and Azula reached out to bend the blood in Katara's legs. Katara tripped and fell, then was pulled up by her legs and thrown across the street.

As she slowly walked towards her enemy, Azula saw fear spread across Katara's face. "Don't you just love the irony?" Azula asked. "Helpless under the very eclipse you planned to use against your enemies."

Katara panicked and ran into the nearest alley, certain that she couldn't win this fight. Azula reached towards Katara, bloodbending her arms to yank Katara back. When Katara fell to the ground, Azula forced her arms to twist behind her back until she screamed in pain. Then Azula focused her power on Katara's throat, lifting her up by it and restricting her breathing.

"Stop…" Katara barely said, hands clutching at the non-existent rope around her neck.

Azula let Katara fall to the ground, then with one palm in front of her Azula forced Katara's body to stick to the ground. On her back Katara could only watch Azula hold her there, struggling against Azula's control. At best Katara could only get her fists a few inches off the ground, her own body fighting against her.

"How?" Katara asked.

"Did it ever occur to you that the human body is mostly water?" Azula asked. Then she started clenching her hand into a fist, squeezing Katara's chest until she screamed. "One of your own tribe showed me how to control it."

"You have to stop!" Katara yelled.

"Now why would I do that?" Azula asked, releasing the pressure on Katara.

"You're damaging the body you want to have" Katara answered.

Azula pulled on the water in Katara, forcing her to stand up. Then she released her control, except for Katara's feet to keep her in place. "If I really wanted to damage that body I'd rip the blood from your veins" Azula said. "Right now I'm just entertaining myself until the eclipse passes."

"_Until_ it passes?" Katara asked.

"Oh it's simple really" Azula said, tugging at the string around her neck. "The moment the eclipse ends I'll make you firebend at this special water, repeating our switch and allowing me to finally kill you."

Katara let her hands rest on her hips. "And why are you telling me this?" she asked.

A smile formed on Azula's face. "Because there's nothing you can do to stop me."

For a moment, Katara noticed Azula's gaze focusing on hers, just long enough to slip a hand inside her pocket. There Katara felt a knife she stole from a guard after getting out of her cell. The knife was small, similar to the throwing knives Mai used. Azula saw Katara take the knife out of her pocket, but instead of throwing the knife Katara pressed the edge against her own throat.

"Don't try it!" Katara yelled as Azula was about to bloodbend the hand holding the knife. "Do it and you'll lose your prize!" she threatened.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_A few minutes earlier…_

Deep below the palace city, just above the very heart of the volcano, Fire Lord Ozai sat on a very simple throne inside his personal bunker. His personal guard stood at attention in front of him, a dozen men all skilled with spears. Ozai didn't need to see the solar eclipse begin to notice its effects, feeling the source of his fire diminish inside him. Trying to reduce his discomfort, Ozai sipped a fresh cup of his favorite tea.

Ozai had just set his teacup down when the only door was thrown open. At the exact same time the wall to Ozai's right exploded, scattering pieces of rock throughout the bunker. Half of the guard moved for the door while the other half moved towards the broken wall. Trespassers entered the bunker from the door and the tunnel from the wall, each shocked to find the other attempting to face Ozai at the exact same time.

"Zuko?" Ursa questioned.

"Mom?" Zuko questioned back.

While mother and son were distracted the guard attacked. The men that went for Ursa were not expecting Ty Lee to jump over Ursa and strike four of them while the other two were struck by knives thrown by Mai. Half of the men that went for Zuko were suddenly trapped in rock while the other half were blown away by the Avatar.

As their allies defeated the guard Ursa and Zuko walked towards each other. When they were only a foot apart Ursa looked at her son's scar while Zuko looked at Ursa's short and graying hair. Both set appearances aside and embraced each other. For just a moment nothing else mattered, just that mother and son were reunited.

The moment ended when Ozai faked a cough. "Well isn't this a lovely family reunion" Ozai commented. "How long have you been planning this?"

Ursa let go of her son and turned towards her husband. But before she could say anything she found the Avatar between her and Ozai.

"Fire Lord Ozai, you're tyranny ends now!" Aang declared.

Ozai started chuckling, surprising everyone else. "So it would seem" Ozai said. "Tell me Avatar, are you so weak that you require an eclipse to defeat your enemies?"

"Step aside Avatar" Ursa demanded. "This is not your fight."

"It's my destiny to defeat the Fire Lord and end the war" Aang said.

"Defeating me when I'm at my weakest would earn you nothing" Ozai claimed. "My generals would continue in my absence, knowing that the Avatar is a coward."

"You're wrong!" Aang yelled.

"Then prove it" Ozai suggested. "Wait for the eclipse to pass while I attend to an internal matter."

Ursa stepped towards Ozai, pushing Aang out of her way. "I should have done this years ago" Ursa said. "Ozai, I challenge you to an Agni Kai."

"In the middle of an eclipse?" Ozai said. "Now that could be interesting."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

At the base of the volcano, the Water Tribe invasion had more important issues than the solar eclipse. The road up the volcano had been severed ahead of them, cut through by a new path created by the Earth Kingdom invasion. An overhang separated the two invasions, which Dai Li agents were attempting to collapse onto the people below. Toph and Haru were focusing on keeping the improvised shelter intact, assisted by the few earthbenders with the Water Tribe.

Only Iroh could see the progress the Earth Kingdom was making, still riding on Appa in the air. He could see the Earth Kingdom army continuing their march up the volcano, the earthbended path spiraling towards the summit. It quickly became clear to Iroh that going forward was not an option, and he brought Appa down for a landing while dodging boulders thrown by the Dai Li. Once he got through the barrage Iroh leaped out of Appa's saddle and landed next to Sokka, Suki and Hakoda.

"Report!" Hakoda shouted, using one arm to shield his head from loose rocks falling from the overhang.

"The way ahead is completely blocked" Iroh reported. "We would have to go around the base of the volcano and use their path to proceed."

"Did you see how large their forces are?" Sokka asked.

"I couldn't get the bison around the volcano to find out" Iroh admitted.

Suddenly the overhang rumbled, dislodging many pieces of rock that showed the people below. "We can't stay here" Sokka said. "It's time to retreat."

"We can't abandon Aang and Katara in there" Suki complained.

"We won't" Sokka said. "The invasion's purpose was to distract the Fire Nation. Well now Long Feng's going to do that for us."

"Sokka, everyone that's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission" Hakoda said.

"I know that" Sokka said. "But there's nothing more the invasion can do. We should use the time we have left to get everyone out of here safely."

"And what about Aang and Katara?" Suki asked.

"Once everyone else is safe we can take Appa back here" Sokka said. "It's not a perfect plan but it's the best that I have."

"It will have to do" Hakoda said. He turned to address the rest of the invasion. "Retreat!"

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Back in the abandoned city Azula and Katara stared at each other. Katara still held the knife at her own throat, a threat to stop Azula's bloodbending. Azula was certain that Katara was bluffing, but wasn't sure if she could force Katara's hand away from her throat without cutting it. For the moment both girls let the stalemate continue.

After a moment, Azula laughed. "It's obvious you're bluffing" Azula said. "You wouldn't dare kill yourself."

"And yet you haven't tried to control me" Katara said. "You don't want to risk accidently killing me now."

"Let's test that theory" Azula said. She reached towards Katara, bending the blood in the arm with the knife. Katara used her free arm to hold the other in place, requiring Azula to pull harder on Katara.

Suddenly Katara stopped resisting Azula, letting her arm snap forward and using the force throw the knife directly at Azula. The knife tumbled in the air and struck Azula's leg, breaking her concentration. As Azula fell to one knee Katara turned and ran, trying to put as much distance as she can before Azula could recover.

"Why you little…" Azula said as she pulled out the knife and tossed it aside. Immediately she bent some water to the wound in her leg, quickly healing it before she could lose too much blood. Once she finished Azula pursued Katara, trying to get close enough to bloodbend her again.

Running as fast as she could Katara tried to lose Azula. She made several turns through the streets and alleys of the city, making a beeline away from the palace. Katara knew that Azula would eventually catch up with her, but not if she could do it before the eclipse would pass. Focusing on speed and misdirection, Katara didn't realize that she ran into the main street through the capital until it was too late.

Katara was only halfway across the wide street when Azula spotted her in the open. Azula reached towards Katara and started pulling her back, despite Katara trying to pull away as hard as she could. Katara's feet dragged against the stones in the street, barely adding any resistance against Azula. Taking slow steps into the street Azula closed the distance as she pulled Katara away from the other side.

"You're not getting away that easily" Azula said when she was only a few feet away from Katara.

"It was worth a shot" Katara said.

With a few hand motions Azula forced Katara into a firebending stance. "You won't be getting another one" Azula said.

"Like you can keep me here for the whole eclipse" Katara said. "The invasion will be here any minute now."

"Highly unlikely" Azula said. "Did you know that there's a second invasion happening today?"

"What!" Katara shouted.

"Oh yes, I saw the Earth Kingdom fleet with my own eyes" Azula admitted. "There's only one route an army can take to get up here. Your invasion and theirs will have to meet and wipe each other out."

As if on cue, boulders fell out of the sky into the city and smashed into buildings. One boulder impacted the street near the girls, forcing Azula to shield herself from debris. Pieces of stone pelted Katara, leaving small cuts before she could shield her face with her arms. When the debris settled both girls searched for the source of the attack, finding it coming from the east.

More boulders were catapulted from beyond the rim of the volcano's caldera, blindly laying siege to the city. The girls saw the entrance to the city widen and drop, earthbended to cut off the existing road and match the path created for the army. Soldiers started pouring into the city, advancing and spreading to occupy the capital while the eclipse continued.

The first of the soldiers spotted Katara and Azula in the main street, and started marching toward them to eliminate any possible threat. They never expected Azula to turn their own men against them, bloodbending their bodies into living clubs. Immediately the formation was broken as Azula forced the soldiers into one another, disabling many in piles of twisted limbs while using others as shields against incoming boulders.

Spotting an opportunity to flee, Katara ran from Azula and the soldiers, running along the edge of the street towards the palace. As she ran the barrage of boulders began to slow, the advancing soldiers reporting that the city was nearly empty. One of the last boulders struck a house along Katara's path, denting a portion of the metal roof. Katara hurried to get behind the damaged house, hoping that the structure could survive just a few more minutes.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_A few minutes earlier…_

No time was wasted in preparation for Ursa's challenge to Agni Kai. Mai and Ty Lee dragged the unconscious guardsmen out of the bunker while Aang sealed the entrance he created earlier. With firebending disabled Ursa and Ozai agreed to use weapons for the duel. The Fire Lord claimed one of the discarded spears while Ursa accepted Zuko's freely offered swords. Only a minute after the challenge, the Agni Kai commenced.

The first move was Ozai's, lunging forward with the spear. With both swords crossed Ursa caught the blade of the spear and deflected it. She swung the sword to retaliate, but Ozai had used the spear's length to remain out of Ursa's reach. Before Ursa could close the distance Ozai had the spear ready to attack again, forcing Ursa to back away to dodge another strike. With the left sword diverting the spear and a step forward Ursa swung the right sword at Ozai, forcing him to duck.

While the spear was still caught by the sword Ozai twisted it and lifted the handle up and to the side, freeing the blade and hitting Ursa's leg with the spear's shaft. The strike broke Ursa's footing, requiring her to take a few steps back to regain it. Pressing forward Ozai made several swings that were only barely blocked by Ursa. Once her footing was sound again Ursa swung with both swords while Ozai brought the spear down, the three blades striking each other and locking the spear in the sword hilts.

Ozai tried to push Ursa back, but found his feet slipping on the floor as the rest of him stayed in place. "What do you expect to accomplish in this struggle?" Ozai demanded.

"Correcting a mistake I made years ago" Ursa answered, still holding the spear in between the swords. She pushed harder against Ozai, the force making the spear's handle bent a bit.

"Which one?" Ozai asked. He applied more force, which only bent the spear further. "Competing to be my wife? Caring for the useless boy? Cutting the throat of my old man?"

"What!" Zuko yelled from the sidelines.

The objection was just enough of a distraction for Ozai to pull the spear out of the swords and get back on the offensive. Swinging the spear high and low Ozai forced Ursa to focus on blocking, and making her step back at the same time. She was nearly at the closed bunker door before she could fight back, throwing all of her strength into both swords and striking where the spear's shaft met the blade. Pinching at the weakest point on the spear, the swords cut the spear in two.

Despite losing the spear's lethal edge, Ozai continued his assault by ramming the broken end into Ursa's chest before she could get the swords back into a blocking position. For just a heartbeat Ursa's grip on the swords loosened while she was in pain, just long enough for Ozai to grab Ursa's right wrist, discard the broken spear and seize the right sword. Immediately Ursa adjusted her grip on the left sword, using both hands for more powerful strikes.

Without the spear's length advantage, Ozai started focusing on his defense. Using the broadside of the stolen sword he blocked Ursa's attacks, waiting for opportunities to inflict damage. Unfamiliar with the weapon Ozai's strikes only nicked Ursa's arms. Each little cut hardly affected Ursa by itself, but dozens of them started slowing her down.

Still watching from the sidelines, Zuko realized he was going to need a new pair of swords by the time the fight was over. The blades clanged with each strike, improper handling leaving cuts on the sides of the blades and slowly chipping away at their edges. Even from a distance Zuko could tell that the swords were taking more damage than either combatant.

With a wide swing Ursa threw a lot of her strength into an attack, while Ozai was also trying to attack. The blades struck with enough force to break both swords into pieces, with tiny chips from along the breaks flying away. Ursa threw the broken sword she held at Ozai while he attempted to stab her with his. Ozai's strike grazed Ursa's left arm while her throw left a cut along his left shoulder.

"They're really going to kill each other!" Aang shouted, appalled that the Fire Nation allowed such blood sport. "I'm stopping this right now!" he shouted, about to enter the Avatar State.

"Stop!" Zuko shouted at Aang, throwing his arm in front of the Avatar. "I don't like it either, but you have to let this play through to the end. She can win this fight."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Outside the Water Tribe began its retreat back to the beaches. The wounded were loaded into the crawler tanks, counting on the metal hulls to withstand falling boulders. Appa flew out from below the overhang first, trying to draw attention away from the tanks coming out behind him. Following the tanks were Hakoda's warriors, constantly moving to avoid falling rocks. Sokka and Toph closely followed with Haru and the earthbenders, diverting as many boulders as they could.

Without the earthbenders below to maintain it, the overhang immediately collapsed. The destruction took half of the path above with it, dragging a portion of the Earth Kingdom soldiers into the rubble. The Dai Li agents escorting the soldiers repaired the damage, giving the people below a short respite from the attacks. When they resumed the assault the crawler tanks were already out of range, with the warriors close behind. Once the last of the Water Tribe invasion was outside the Dai Li's ability to attack they stopped and focused their attention on the capital city.

"I think we're in the clear!" Sokka shouted when he saw the attack stop.

"How are we getting everyone out of here?" Toph asked, bending a wall of rock behind the retreat.

"We just need to reach the subs at the beaches" Suki said.

"What's a sub?" Toph asked.

"Something I had the Mechanist come up with" Sokka answered. "They'll let us escape under the water."

"I'm not going to like that, aren't I?" Toph asked.

"Probably not" Sokka admitted.

The retreat picked up the pace, quickly passing the ruins of the lower plaza's main tower. Stray Fire Nation soldiers saw the retreat coming and got out of the way, not willing to fight again and take another beating. The beach was still held by the swampbenders, their waterbending surprisingly enhanced by the eclipse and allowing them easily thwart any attempts to destroy the subs.

When the beach was in sight Sokka examined the timing device the Mechanist made. According to the device the eclipse was two minutes away from ending, though Sokka knew it could be off by several seconds. Looking ahead Sokka found a few of the swampbenders already opening the subs, realizing what was happening the moment they saw the retreat.

"Go! Go! Go!" Hakoda ordered, nearly forcing everyone else onto the subs before himself.

The crawler tanks were emptied and the wounded loaded onto the subs first. Abandoning the tanks was a practical decision, being useless inside the subs and dead weight slowing down an escape. One by one the subs were filled and pushed into the harbor, until only one sub remained. Still outside were Sokka and his father and friends, along with Appa and Iroh.

"Are you certain about this son?" Hakoda asked.

"I'm not leaving Katara in there" Sokka answered.

"Alright" Hakoda said. "When you find Katara, tell her that I'm proud of both of you."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Still hiding behind the damaged house Katara focused on staying alive. She could hear Azula still fighting the Earth Kingdom soldiers, bloodbending reducing their advantage of numbers. But the soldiers that fell were being replaced faster than Azula could defeat them, forcing Azula to slowly step back to avoid being overwhelmed.

Stray boulders struck Katara's shelter, gradually demolishing the building. One strike broke through the roof and wall to Katara's right, telling her that the next boulder would bring the whole structure down. Hearing another boulder fall Katara leaped away just before it struck and collapsed the building. The blind leap left Katara just behind Azula, who had just bloodbended half a dozen soldiers into their comrades.

Azula heard Katara's leap and quickly glanced to see her on the ground nearby. She also saw soldiers attempting to outflank her, using the side alleys to get around her defense. As the soldiers closed in from the sides Azula realized that she was trapped with Katara inside a closing circle of bodies. There was no escape, and Azula knew the enemy would eventually wear her down.

But then, just as suddenly as it had arrived, the shadow over the capital receded. The light of the sun shined again as the moon continued on its path around the Earth. As the sun reclaimed the sky Azula's power lessened, and could no longer command the water in flesh to override the mind. Without that power Azula knew she would be overwhelmed in a matter of minutes.

As Azula's power faded, Katara felt hers return to her. The return of the sun reignited the spark within, restoring the power of fire. With the temperature rising, Katara rose to her feet and felt her strength rise with the heat. But Katara had no time to feel any relief, finding herself surrounded by Earth Kingdom soldiers.

At the same time Katara and Azula looked into the other's eyes. The same train of thought ran through each of their minds. A mutual enemy had them outnumbered and surrounded, and neither of them could survive this alone. There was only one way out, which neither of them liked. Without speaking they both came to the same conclusion, and each could see the same thought in the other's eyes.

_Truce!_

Immediately Azula bent as much water as she could into the space between her and Katara, while she threw blue fire directly into the liquid. Within seconds the water boiled into steam which Azula bent into a shroud around them both, hiding both girls from view. Soldiers started charging through the steam shroud, only to find fire and water waiting for them.

One after another Katara threw blue fireblasts at every soldier that she could see. Small portions of the steam coalesced into spheres of water which Azula threw at the enemy, reverting back to steam once the target was down. When a dozen soldiers appeared through the shroud at once Azula created a waterwhip and aimed for their legs, while Katara threw blue flames over Azula at the soldiers' heads. After those soldiers were down Azula turned and threw water past Katara's shoulder to hit more opponents behind her.

The shroud of steam began to thin and more soldiers advanced towards Katara and Azula. The two stepped toward each other, reinforcing the others attacks with their own. Firewhips followed by water strikes, ice shards just ahead of fireblasts, alternating walls of flame and water, opposite elements moving in tandem. Constantly on the move, neither girl could be hit by any of the soldiers.

After both girls threw an attack they stepped backward, and found themselves at each other's backs. Katara glanced over her shoulder to see Azula doing the same. Then Katara created a ring of blue flames while Azula formed a ring of water, both throwing their elements at the enemy around them. As the bodies of fallen soldiers built up around them the girls were beginning to feel unstoppable.

Then the Dai Li arrived on the battlefield.

The best of the Earth Kingdom's benders, the Dai Li marched forward and ordered the soldiers to fall back. Dozens of Dai Li in formation created a barrage of small stones at the girls, attempting to gradually wear them down. Most of the stones in the barrage were either destroyed by fire or broken by water. Shrapnel from broken stones pelted both girls, slowly weakening their defense.

"Cover me!" Azula yelled.

Katara nodded and started throwing as much blue fire as she could. Azula started bending as much water as she could out of the air, forming a growing sphere of water. Stray pools of water joined the sphere, some from several city blocks away. When Azula believed she had as much water as she could find she bent it over Katara, who threw as much blue fire as she could into the moving water. Hot water rained down on the Dai Li, scalding any exposed skin.

"Your turn!" Katara yelled.

Azula bent the still hot water off the ground and struck the burned Dai Li. Katara started charging a blast of lightning, trying to do it as quickly as possible. Hearing the distinctive sound, Azula immediately knew how to inflict the most damage with the lightning. Just before Katara fired the lightning Azula bent the water into a web connecting as many Dai Li as she could. When Katara fired the lightning hit the lead agent, passing through him into the water and hitting everyone connected.

The lightning was weakened with each Dai Li it struck, only crippling the first dozen hit. The others were brought down to their knees, momentarily paralyzed by the shock. Earning a brief respite from battle, Katara and Azula observed the army behind the Dai Li. They saw another squad of Dai Li crossing the threshold into the capital, escorting a person they recognized by his receding hairline.

"Long Feng" Azula muttered.

"We have to move!" Katara yelled, throwing blue fire at the few soldiers between her and the palace.

"Agreed" Azula said. "They're not going to fall for that trick again."

Before the Dai Li could resume the battle Katara and Azula ran towards the palace, striking at anyone that got in their way. Crossing the threshold into the palace, each girl grabbed one of the large doors and slammed them shut. Azula froze water onto the hinges while Katara used blue flames to weld the doors together, trying to buy any time they could.

"That's not going to hold for long" Katara said when she finished.

"It just has to hold long enough for one last trick" Azula said. She reached for her neck and removed the vial of spirit water held there.

"Here? Now?" Katara questioned. "What happened to 'the opportune moment' from before?"

"Right now I'm more concerned with getting out of this alive" Azula said. She held the vial between herself and Katara. "It's now or never."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

_A few minutes earlier…_

Disarmed and without firebending, Ozai and Ursa fought hand to hand. The Fire Lord was stronger physically, but his wife was more agile. Both combatants were bleeding on their left arms, and favored their right arms to avoid damaging the wounds further. Ozai was blocking Ursa's strikes while she dodged his, both struggling to make a direct hit.

Just after another dodge, Ursa kicked Ozai's shin. As Ozai stepped backward from the strike Ursa found an opening and punched Ozai's face. Before Ursa could strike again Ozai's fist rose up into her gut, which he followed with an uppercut into Ursa's jaw. Nearly falling back Ursa used the motion to lift her foot in between Ozai's legs. After hitting Ozai's most vulnerable spot Ursa kicked him in the chest, forcing him back.

As Ozai stumbled back Ursa took a moment to tear off a piece of cloth from her sleeve. She wrapped the strip of cloth around the cut on her arm, trying to stop the loss of blood. With the makeshift bandage in place, Ursa faced her husband again. To her surprise Ursa found him standing still with a hand over his chest, breathing heavily in front of his throne.

"I'm done" Ozai said. "I know when I'm beaten." Ozai raised his hands in defeat. "A Fire Lord surrenders with honor."

Immediately Zuko and Aang recognized the words and tone Ozai had just used, remembering a similar experience. "IT'S A TRAP!" they both yelled.

Ursa glanced at her son, acknowledging the warning. But in that moment Ursa felt the spark of firebending reemerge within, instantly telling her that the solar eclipse was over. Realizing that she only had a few moments before Ozai would overwhelm her with firebending, she created the largest fireblast she could and threw it at Ozai. But as Ursa made her attack she saw Ozai charging a blast of lightning, doing it faster than she thought was possible.

The fireblast almost reached Ozai, and would have hit if Ursa had attacked the exact moment the eclipse ended. Ozai had just enough time to fire his lightning into Ursa's fireblast, piercing the flames and shooting directly at Ursa. As the lightning approached Ursa realized that she wasn't going to get out of the way in time. From the sidelines Zuko could see that Ursa was about to die, and couldn't stop himself from interfering.

"NO!" Zuko yelled, leaping in front of his mother. One hand intersected the lightning, catching and internalizing the energy. Still in mid-leap Zuko couldn't perform his uncle's redirection technique properly, and the lighting flowed into his chest instead of his stomach. When Zuko hit the floor the lightning fired out the other hand into the ceiling.

Ursa's jaw dropped in horror at the sight of Zuko lying there, twitching as a portion of the energy still shocked him. Horror turned into anger and fury that only a mother could know, focused entirely on the man responsible for harming her son. Throwing both fists forward Ursa attacked with all the fire she could summon, going beyond her limits in her rage. The stream of fire was wider than Ursa was tall, and followed Ozai when he attempted to dodge. Just before impact the core of the flames changed from red to blue, which struck Ozai and the throne behind him.

Finished, Ursa fell to her hands and knees, exhausted and just about to pass out from the effort. She could hear the footsteps of Zuko's friends rushing to his aid, doing all they could to keep him alive. Looking forward she saw the remains of her former husband, only recognizable by the crown that lay among the ashes and charred bones.

"He's dying!" Ty Lee screamed at Zuko's side.

"Do Something!" Mai yelled at the Avatar. "You can waterbend. Heal Him!"

"I don't know how!" Aang yelled back. "Trying for the first time could kill him!"

"Try or I'll kill you myself!" Mai yelled.

"Allow me" Ursa said, struggling to get back on her feet. She stumbled her way over to Zuko, focusing on remaining conscious.

"But firebenders can't heal" Aang said, even as he stepped away to give Ursa room.

"Watch me" Ursa said and she knelt beside Zuko. She examined her son, finding extensive burns on his arms and chest. Gently placing both hands on Zuko's chest, Ursa fed what little energy she had left into firebending heat into him. Ursa focused the fire healing on Zuko's heart, vital to stabilizing his condition. Once Zuko's heartbeat was steady Ursa worked on his lungs, getting his breathing under control.

As Ursa worked Zuko opened his eyes, just barely staying conscious. "Mom…" he barely spoke, which could be barely heard.

"I'm here" Ursa said, about to begin healing the burns on Zuko's skin. "I won't… leave… again…"

Between the wound from the physical struggle, pushing her firebending beyond her limits, and the fire healing, Ursa passed out over her son. Ty Lee and Mai caught Ursa before she could fall on top of Zuko, and laid her down beside him. Only when both mother and son were stable and resting did the reality of the Agni Kai's outcome catch up with Aang.

The Fire Lord was dead.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

From the air on Appa above the bay Sokka watched the last of the subs disappear under the water. Beside him was Suki, who worried that the subs might be caught when they would need to surface for air. Toph sat in a corner of the saddle, waiting for Appa to land and let her see what was happening. Iroh guided the sky bison towards the volcano while Haru looked out for anyone that might attack them.

With the eclipse over Sokka knew it was only a matter of time before the Fire Nation counterattack. He knew that even if the Fire Lord fell it would still take time for his army to know about it and stand down. Best case scenario in Sokka's judgment was that the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom armies would annihilate each other, allowing Aang to step in and negotiate peace. Worst case scenario was that Long Feng's army would succeed in occupying the Fire Nation capital, trading one enemy for another.

"Bring us in" Sokka ordered.

"That's going to be difficult" Haru said. He pointed towards the spiral path up the volcano, pointing out a contingent of earthbenders waiting for Appa to get within range.

"We're not going to get through them unharmed" Iroh said.

Sokka took a moment to think about what to do. "Take us around the volcano" Sokka suggested. "Maybe if we get behind them we can deal some damage."

"Works for me" Toph said.

Appa flew around the volcano, staying out of the earthbenders' range. A few of them tried to throw boulders at the sky bison anyway, but lacked the force to reach their target. On the other side of the volcano Sokka and the others observed the terrain below. The bulk of the Earth Kingdom army was already up the spiral path, leaving only a small continent guarding a supply line between them and the ships in a dock earthbended out of the cliffs.

"Wait a minute something's wrong here" Sokka said.

"You mean besides someone else stealing your thunder?" Suki asked.

"No not that" Sokka said. "Katara visited me in prison a few days ago and mentioned that the Fire Nation recreated the war balloon."

"And your point is?" Toph asked.

"Where are they?" Sokka asked.

Answering Sokka were several long slits forming in the ground below. Each slit quickly widened, cutting off the Earth Kingdom supply line in several places. It quickly became apparent that the entire landscape behind the volcano was a false ground, constructed to conceal a shipyard for a dozen massive airships. Dirt and stone laid above fell into the shipyard as the doors opened, not even denting the thick metal hulls.

"Those are not war balloons" Haru commented.

The airships started to rise up from the shipyard, the air inside gradually heating up to provide lift. It would only take a few minutes for the airships to clear the shipyard doors and take the sky. Earthbenders in the broken supply line attempted to damage the airships with boulders, only achieving small dents in the metal.

"How are we supposed to destroy those?" Suki questioned.

"We don't" Iroh said.

"He's right" Sokka said. "If those are similar to the war balloon, they need hot air inside to fly. If we can cut them open the hot air will escape and ground them."

"And how do we do that?" Haru asked.

"Toph, you're up" Sokka said.

"Okay" Toph said.

Appa flew down towards the nearest airship, only the top third of it was out of the shipyard. When Appa landed at the airship's stern Toph jumped out of the saddle and landed in front of the bison. She grabbed the metal she stood on and pulled it apart, metalbending a hole in the top of the airship. With a quick yank from both arms Toph forced the hole to spread down the length of the airship, venting enough hot air to force the airship to descend back into the shipyard.

"One down" Toph said before climbing back into Appa's saddle.

Flying from one airship to the next, Toph tore open just enough metal to disable them. The second and third airships fell back into the shipyard, and the fourth landed on the false floor tipping into the shipyard. The fifth and sixth airships were clear of the shipyard and crashed on top of the broken supply chain when Toph disabled them.

Before Appa could fly Toph to the next airship the remaining six airships split into two groups. Three of them flew towards the sea while the rest flew towards the volcano. The objectives of the split fleet were obvious, half would strike at the Earth Kingdom army while the other half would destroy the only means of escape.

"They're on to us" Haru said after Toph disabled the sixth airship.

"Appa isn't fast enough to reach all of them in time" Suki said.

"I know" Sokka said. "We might be able to hit those three before they reach the volcano."

The sky bison flew towards the three moving airships, rising to remain above them. One of the three airships was slower than the other two, allowing Appa to reach it first. Appa landed on it and Toph tore open the roof to let the airship crash in front of the spiral path up the volcano. The remaining two ships were rising higher into the air, allowing firebenders suspended beneath to throw fireblasts at Appa. Weaving through the fireblasts slowed the bison down, only reaching the next airship in time to crash it into the side of the volcano.

Toph jumped back into Appa's saddle just before the airship hit the volcano. "Where's the next one?" Toph asked.

"It's getting away!" Suki yelled, pointing at the airship above them.

"Appa yip yip" Sokka said. "Yip yip until you can't yip anymore."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Inside the Fire Nation palace the main doors still held off the Earth Kingdom army. Dai Li were throwing boulders at the doors, trying to break them down. The ice on the hinges had already shattered from the force and the welds on the doors were cracking apart. The doors weren't going to stay closed for much longer, which Katara and Azula knew.

Katara glanced at the vial of spirit water Azula held in between them. "How exactly did you do this the last time?" Katara asked.

"I tossed it up and used a simple fire attack" Azula answered. "It broke the vial and scattered hot water on both of us."

"Okay, sounds simple enough" Katara said. She clenched her fist in preparation for a fireblast. "Ready."

After counting to three on her fingers, Azula tossed the vial straight up into the air between her and Katara. As the vial tumbled up Katara focused for the firebending and Azula kept her eyes on the vial. When the vial reached the apex of the toss Katara sent a blue fireblast at it. The blue flames swallowed the vial, quickly heating up the spirit water inside.

Suddenly the palace doors buckled from an impact, breaking the upper half of the welds. The boulder that caused the damage shattered in the impact, and pieces of it flew through the gap in the doors. A tiny chip of stone smashed the vial within the blue flames, breaking the stone into dust. Spirit water mixed with the blue flames and dust, scattering hot mud onto Katara and Azula.

"Of all the times for random chance to interfere!" Azula yelled, examining the dots of mud on her skin.

"Um… nothing's happening" Katara said.

Another boulder struck the doors, breaking more of the welds. "It took a few seconds last time" Azula said.

"We don't have a few seconds!" Katara yelled.

The spots of mud started to glow, bright blue on Katara and dark blue on Azula. "Finally" Azula said. Then the glowing mud on both girls turned black as night. "Oh this can't be good."

Before Katara could question Azula she felt a pull towards her, as if some invisible hand was pushing on her back. Azula felt the same pull and tried to resist by pushing her feet against the floor, which failed to have any effect. Katara and Azula slammed into each other, their faces meeting as the black glow from the mud spread over their bodies.

Suddenly Katara found herself not in the palace, but falling through a dark cave. Ahead of her Katara spotted a vague shape, barely recognizable in the darkness. Falling towards it Katara found that it was a giant centipede. The centipede turned its head towards Katara, showing off its face. It was a simple Noh mask, which began to speak.

"**This should be amusing."**

The centipede vanished, and Katara saw Azula falling up towards her. The two collided where the centipede had been, and in a flash both Katara and Azula found oblivion.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

A flash of light erupted from inside the Fire Nation palace just as the doors fell. The light blinded the Earth Kingdom army, and then slowly faded away. Surprised and shocked, the invasion ground to a halt. Every last soldier and Dai Li wondered what had happened while they waited for their vision to clear. When they could properly see again they stared at the entrance to the palace.

Standing in the threshold was a single woman, facing the entire Earth Kingdom army alone. She appeared to be in her late teens, taller than most men. Her skin was a light brown, a blend of Fire Nation and Water Tribe. Brown hair was tied in a topknot, and long black bangs looping to a red and blue headpiece holding all the hair together. She wore red clothes with an open blue vest framed with violet over her shirt.

Fiery blue eyes observed the army in front of her, which finally charged for the palace. The woman raised both hands, pulling water out of the air into one hand while igniting blue flames in the other. She threw both elements at the charging army, a wave of blue fire washing over them and a wet mist so cold it burned. The charge fell apart as soldiers fried and froze, leaving the woman untouched.

From the rear of the army, Long Feng ordered the Dai Li to attack the woman with everything they had. Every last Dai Li created a barrage of rock, aimed directly for the strange enemy. The woman spun her arms to create a maelstrom of blue fire and water around herself, deflecting every rock regardless of size. Long Feng could only watch as the maelstrom grew and then separate into dozens of blue fire and water attacks, striking nearly every Dai Li between him and the palace.

Long Feng felt the enemy's gaze fall on him. He looked back, noticing something familiar about her. "Who are you?" Long Feng demanded.

"_I am not Katara or Azula" _the woman declared, possessing the voices of both benders at once. _"I am Kazula. It's over Long Feng, I've come for you!"_

Men with common sense scattered, abandoning the target of Kazula's wrath. Even the wounded attempted to drag themselves out of her way, fearing a power that could rival an Avatar. With slow steps Kazula walked towards Long Feng, striking down the few fools that attempted to stop her. Only Long Feng stood his ground, knowing that he had come too far to give up now.

Using every technique he knew, Long Feng threw everything he had at Kazula. He used everything from fast stones to massive boulders to giant slabs of rock, tearing apart the ground around him for ammunition. The small stones were swept away in a waterwhip, the boulders were destroyed with blue fireblasts, and the slabs of rock were broken and diverted with both elements. Kazula's pace never changed, steadily walking towards Long Feng.

Kazula reached towards Long Feng with her left hand, and slowly squeezed her fingers. Focusing her waterbending solely on his chest allowed her to bloodbend without the moon, just enough control to hold him in one place. Crippling pain paralyzed Long Feng, leaving him at Kazula's mercy. With her right arm Kazula charged a blast of lightning, and fired it directly into the chest she still controlled with bloodbending. Instantly the lightning stopped the heart, and Long Feng was dead before his body could hit the ground.

Everyone that witnessed Kazula's power fell to their hands and knees, begging for mercy. Kazula stood still and observed everyone around her. _"Go home" _Kazula said, finding no reason to fight those who were no longer a threat. _"Before I change my mind."_

No one needed to be told twice to leave. Soldiers and Dai Li gathered in the main street of the city, dragging the wounded with them. Their numbers only a fraction of what entered the city, the army knew it was time to quit. But when the remains of the army began to march towards the exit of the city, everyone heard something approach in the air from behind the palace. Looking up and behind towards the noise, Kazula saw a single massive airship flying over the city.

Then, seemingly of its own accord, the airship fell out of the sky. Forward momentum carried the falling airship across the city, crashing into the eastern end of the caldera and blocking the only passage in or out of the city. The Earth Kingdom army was stranded inside the capital, cut off from support on the path up the volcano. On the ground the crashed airship tipped over, revealing a long gash running down the length of the top.

Before Kazula could wonder what could have brought down an airship she spotted a familiar bison flying away from the wreck. She watched Appa fly over the army and head for the palace. Kazula threw a blue flame into the air above her, signaling whoever was guiding Appa to make him land nearby. Appa landed just outside of the gates in front of the palace.

As Kazula walked towards Appa and the palace she heard a loud gust of wind coming from inside the palace. A moment later the wind blew out of the palace, carrying the Avatar with it. Dispersing the wind and coming to a stop, Aang wondered what in the world had happened outside. Instead of the Fire Nation army he had expected to fight, he found remains of the Earth Kingdom army and a woman he found strangely familiar.

Just behind Aang came Ty Lee, who had left Zuko and Ursa in Mai's care. Her jaw dropped at the sight of Kazula, so surprised that she didn't notice Appa or the people climbing out of the saddle. Each and every one of them was just as speechless as Ty Lee. None of them could think of any possible explanation, or how to respond to the fusion of friend and foe.

Aang was the first to approach Kazula. "Is that you, Katara?" he asked.

"_Yes, and no" _Kazula answered. She was about to say more, but found herself paralyzed with internal conflict. Part of her was glad to see Aang alive, and the other was furious to see Aang alive. Uncertain whether to kiss him or kill him, Kazula was unable to act. The division split her mind down the middle, pain shooting through her skull. She fell to her knees with her hands clutching her head.

"What's wrong?" Aang asked, rushing towards Kazula.

Before Aang could reach her Kazula's body shone bright blue. The same flash of light from her creation flashed again, blinding everyone nearby. In an instant Kazula split back into the benders that had created her, Katara and Azula falling to the ground. Both slowly sat up and rubbed their eyes, vaguely remembering what had happened while joined.

Katara groaned as she opened her eyes, wondering if what she remembered had been real or just a bad dream. For a moment Katara wondered if the experience had returned her to her own body, but then she saw the color of her skin. "Oh come on!" Katara yelled, finding herself still in the body of a firebender.

_A/N: Totally admitting now that I am a fan of DragonballZ. Was the fusion a satisfying twist, or did I completely jump the shark? You the reader decide!_

_Just one more chapter to tie up a few loose ends._


	17. Aftermath and Ascension

_A/N: It seems that I jumped the shark, but not in the way that I was worried about. The one line about Earth Kingdom soldiers being stranded seems to be less believable than frickin fusion._

_I really should stop being alliterative after this concluding chapter…_

_Wait…_

Chapter 17: Aftermath and Ascension

For over a week after the solar eclipse Katara worried that all hell would break loose in the Fire Nation capital. Most of the earthbenders from the Earth Kingdom invasion had either perished or were badly wounded in the battle against Azula and Katara, leaving the nonbending soldiers stranded when Toph forced an airship to crash on top of the entrance to the city. Even after Toph metalbended a path through the wreck the soldiers were still stuck on the island, since three airships that were still flying had destroyed the ships the Earth Kingdom used to reach the Fire Nation.

Tensions ran high as generals of the Fire Nation wanted to execute the stranded soldiers while the few Dai Li who commanded them wanted to take what they needed to survive. Only Aang's presence prevented violence from breaking out, neither side willing to face the Avatar after he demonstrated control of the Avatar State. Even with Aang around there were fights over distribution of food and where to house the soldiers until they could go home.

After an examination of the airships, Sokka suggested using them to transport the soldiers back to the Earth Kingdom. The interiors would have to be modified to hold all of the soldiers at once, which took several days of Toph metalbending wider spaces inside the airships. Some of the soldiers had to be taught how to fly the airships for the journey, part of an agreement to ensure that the Fire Nation officers wouldn't simply dump the soldiers into the sea on the way to the Earth Kingdom.

None of it mattered to Azula, who was being held captive inside her old room in the palace. Half a dozen guards watched the door, three from the Fire Nation and three from the Earth Kingdom. Inside Azula sat on her old bed, waiting for whatever judgment her enemies had for her. She considered trying to escape, but quickly realized that she didn't have anywhere else to go.

A knock at the door caught Azula's attention. "Come in" Azula said. The door opened and Katara walked inside, closing the door behind her. "Are you here to gloat?" Azula asked.

"No" Katara answered. "I thought you'd like to know that your mother is recovering."

Azula looked away, not wanting Katara to see the concern on her face for her mother. "Is that it?" Azula asked. "You could have sent a messenger to tell me that."

Katara took a few steps into the room and looked at a bookshelf beside the bed. Despite using the room for over a month Katara had never read any of the books Azula owned. "A messenger couldn't be trusted" Katara said. "Your brother isn't doing so well."

"He can die for all I care" Azula said. "I suppose mother is healing him as we speak?"

"She's trying to" Katara answered. "Your father's lightning did a lot of damage and she couldn't treat the wounds soon enough."

"Zuko is dying, isn't he?" Azula asked.

"That's why I'm here" Katara said. "If he's going to make it Zuko needs a waterbender. He needs you."

Azula laughed for a moment. "For most of my life I've wanted Zuko out of it" she said. "Why would I want to save him now?"

"I suppose asking you to do it out of the goodness in your heart is out of the question?" Katara asked.

"So you finally understand me" Azula said.

"Look, if you won't do it for Zuko, do it for your mother" Katara suggested. "Can you really break her heart by letting her son die?"

Azula stood up and walked over the window, facing away from Katara. She didn't want to admit it, but Ursa was only person she had left to care about. "I'll do it, but I want something in return" Azula said.

"You know I can't let you go" Katara said.

"True, but that wasn't what I had in mind" Azula said. She walked up to Katara, stopping just a foot away from her. "I just want to live a life that isn't in a prison cell."

Katara smiled for a bit. "I'll see what I can do."

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Meanwhile in the palace infirmary Ursa tended to Zuko. He was still lying in a bed, the burns on his chest and arms well on their way to becoming new scars. Zuko was only awake for a few minutes at a time, too weak to maintain consciousness for long. Still weak from her own battle, Ursa's fire healing could only keep Zuko's condition stable.

While Ursa focused on treating Zuko's chest she heard someone enter the infirmary. "I asked to be left alone" Ursa said.

"You're going to wear yourself out" the newcomer said, which Ursa recognized by the voice of her brother in law. Iroh set a pot of tea on a table next to Zuko's bed. "It's been so long since we've enjoyed tea together."

"Aren't you supposed to be helping the Avatar keep the generals in check" Ursa asked, not looking away from her son.

Suddenly the entire palace vibrated for a few seconds. "It appears the Avatar is sufficient to keep them in line" Iroh said, guessing that Aang had just used the Avatar State to stop the generals from attempting something. Then Iroh placed a travel sized Pai Sho board on the table. "May I have this game?"

"I don't have time for games" Ursa said.

Ignoring her objection Iroh placed his set of Pai Sho pieces next to the board, then poured some of his tea into two cups. "Indulge an old man just this once" Iroh said.

Ursa sighed, and once she was certain Zuko wouldn't get any worse she stepped away from his bed. Taking a seat opposite Iroh at the table, she took one of the tea cups and sipped it. "Ginseng tea, you remembered" Ursa noted.

"I made your favorite on the day Zuko was born" Iroh said. He placed a tile on his side of the board. "It was one of the happiest days of my life."

After another sip of tea Ursa placed an air tile on her side of the board. "I heard that you looked after Zuko for three years."

"Yes" Iroh said, placing an earth tile near the middle of the board. "He never said it, but I know he missed you."

"And I missed him" Ursa said. The conversation paused for a few turns in the game. Ursa used an aggressive strategy, focusing on cutting off any opportunity for Iroh to make a winning pattern with his pieces.

Iroh played with an unusual strategy, deliberately avoiding flaws in Ursa's strategy that could let him win the game. He placed a white lotus tile in the center of the board. "Have you thought about the future?" Iroh asked.

"Not really" Ursa answered, placing a jade tile on the edge of the board. "I expect Zuko to become Fire Lord once he recovers."

"He's certainly earned it" Iroh said, placing his last tile on the board, a water tile in the middle of Ursa's tiles.

Looking at the board with her last tile in hand, Ursa found only one spot left to place it. Her fire tile had to go in the middle of Iroh's group of tiles opposite of hers. "How in the world did you pull this off?" Ursa asked, noticing the pattern of tiles on the board. It resembled a yin-yang symbol, each player having one tile in the middle of the other group of tiles.

"I've gotten better at this game since we last played" Iroh said, avoiding the question. Iroh finished his tea and stood up. "We really must do this again sometime."

"I would like that" Ursa said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

In the palace's war room Aang was trying to negotiate a cease-fire and withdrawal of Fire Nation forces from the Earth Kingdom. Lacking any kind of diplomacy skills Aang brought Sokka and Suki along, hoping they could help get the generals to cooperate. But even with the Fire Lord dead and the capital effectively captured, the generals refused to end the war.

"What do you mean you can't order the army to leave?" Aang demanded, slamming his fist on the war room's map of the Earth Kingdom.

On the opposite side of the map stood General Shinu, representing the nobility still holed up in their personal bunkers. "None of us have the authority to recall the troops from the Earth Kingdom" Shinu explained.

"Why not?" Sokka asked. "You certainly can deploy them anywhere you like in the Earth Kingdom."

"Deploy them, yes" Shinu said. "But recalling them to the homeland is another matter."

"What's the problem?" Suki asked.

"The generals in the field have standing orders to only bring the troops home if the Fire Lord orders them to return" Shinu explained. "If I or my colleagues give the order the field generals will not obey it."

"In case you haven't noticed, we don't have a Fire Lord to give the order!" Aang yelled, getting frustrated with the general.

General Shinu stepped back a bit, worried that Aang might enter the Avatar State and blow him out of the war room like the previous general that negotiated. "That could be remedied" Shinu said. "There are two heirs to the throne still alive."

"We know" Sokka said, glaring at the general.

"Then I recommend you let one of them take the throne immediately" Shinu suggested.

"Get out" Aang said, refusing to let the discussion continue in this direction.

"But…"

"**NOW!" **Aang yelled, using the Avatar State to intimidate the general. He remained in the Avatar State for the few seconds it took for Shinu to leave.

Once the general was gone Sokka turned towards Aang. "You really should stop doing that" Sokka suggested.

"Besides, he did have a point" Suki said. "This would be a lot easier if we had a new Fire Lord to order these people around."

Aang sighed and rubbed his temples. "Zuko's in no condition to become Fire Lord and there's no way we're letting Azula take it."

Both Sokka and Suki stared at Aang. "There is one other option" Suki said.

"I know where you're going with this" Aang said. "We could have Katara pretend to be Azula becoming the Fire Lord."

"It would work" Sokka said.

"But that still leaves us with Azula being the Fire Lord after Katara gets her body back" Aang said. "There's just too much at risk with that."

"We also risk a lot if we wait for Zuko to get better" Sokka said. "If those Fire Nation soldiers are still in the Earth Kingdom when Sozin's Comet arrives they can do a lot of damage."

Aang took a moment to think about the options he had. "Let's get everyone together and talk about this before committing to anything" Aang said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Katara personally escorted Azula through the halls to the palace infirmary. Neither of them said a word along the way. At every turn Katara suspected Azula might try to escape, but it never happened. On arrival at the infirmary Katara opened the door and Azula walked inside. Katara gave Azula a few minutes alone with Ursa before entering herself.

With Azula at her side Ursa examined Katara, finally seeing what her daughter should have looked like. It reminded Ursa of herself at that age, the only difference being how Katara held herself. But Ursa knew nothing about the person behind the eyes, and really didn't want to know. She didn't trust Katara, having heard about how she and Azula had been trying to kill each other only a week before.

"Why are you still here?" Ursa asked.

"No offense, but I'm keeping an eye on Azula" Katara answered.

"I would expect nothing less" Azula said. She walked over to Zuko's bed and observed how vulnerable he appeared. "Do you have any advice on healing?"

Katara shared what she learned from the healing lessons at the North Pole. She was surprised by how little she remembered, having forgotten most of it through lack of use. Only the first lesson was clear in Katara's memory, which was all she could explain to Azula. It was enough to help Azula improve on what she had figured out before through trial and error.

With water coating her hands Azula went to work on healing Zuko. The burns had already started to scar, requiring Azula to work slowly to avoid causing any new damage. Azula focused on the chest burns first, wondering how Zuko could have survived them. After an hour of uninterrupted healing Zuko was breathing better and the chest burns were more manageable.

Azula had just pulled her hands away from Zuko when he suddenly woke up. With the first thing he saw being Azula he instinctively tried to pull away, nearly tumbling out of the bed before Ursa could stop him. At first Zuko didn't feel the pain in his arms, fear suppressing the pain with adrenaline. Then he noticed Ursa and Katara and settled down, then felt the pain immediately.

"What happened?" Zuko said, trying and failing to hide the pain.

"You saved my live, son" Ursa said. "Do you remember the lightning?"

"A bit" Zuko said. "I wasn't sure if uncle's technique was going to work."

"You weren't sure!" Katara yelled. "You could have died! You almost did!"

"Feels like I did" Zuko said. He tried to move his arms, but pain seemed to paralyze them.

"Don't move" Ursa said, trying to hold Zuko in place. "You're still in pretty bad shape."

"That must be why she's here" Zuko commented, glancing at Azula. "What's the price for her healing?"

"I'll handle that" Katara said. "Just get some rest."

"That sounds good" Zuko said. He tried to relax and within a minute he fell asleep.

Azula resumed her work, starting the healing on Zuko's arms. Immediately Azula noticed that one of the arms suffered far more damage than the other, being the arm that released the lightning. The burns on the arm followed the chi path through it, getting worse towards the hand. Even if Zuko recovered Azula suspected he might have to lose the arm.

After taking twenty minutes to heal Zuko's shoulder, Azula looked at Ursa. "This is worse than I thought" Azula said.

Ursa looked at Zuko's burned arm, finally admitting to herself what Azula had noticed. "You can't heal it?" she asked.

"If I had gotten to this right after it happened, maybe I could" Azula said. "Now, I really don't know."

"Why not?" Katara asked.

Both Ursa and Azula stared at Katara. "You've never healed burns like these" Ursa said, knowing that only a novice healer would ask such a question. "Once they start to scar they become much harder to heal. Permanent if too much time passes."

"I might be able to, if I focused on just the arm" Azula said. "And a few days to work on it."

"But then the rest of him wouldn't heal" Katara said.

"I know" Azula said.

"Tend to the rest of him" Ursa said. She got up and walked around the bed to get closer to the burned arm. "I'll heal it."

After another hour of watching Azula and Ursa heal Zuko, Katara was convinced that Ursa wouldn't let Azula do anything that might harm Zuko. Evening came sooner than Katara realized, and she left the infirmary leaving guards watching it. She figured that Ursa and Azula could just sleep in the infirmary and continue their work in the morning.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The next day Sokka called for a Team Avatar meeting in the throne room. Filling in for Zuko was Iroh, who arrived in the middle of a conversation with Toph. Suki and Sokka were talking to each other when Aang arrived with Katara. Everyone gathered in front of the empty throne, all of them wondering who would end up filling it.

"Alright, I call this meeting of Team Avatar into order" Sokka declared.

"Why so formal?" Toph asked. She was lying on her side scratching an itch behind her ear.

"Seeing as we don't have to worry about running for our lives now, I thought it might be nice to try it" Sokka explained.

"I don't like it" Toph said, scratching the inside of her ear and then flicking a bit of earwax at Sokka.

"Can we just get on with this?" Suki asked.

"Oh right" Sokka said. "We need someone to become Fire Lord to order the army around."

Katara pointed her thumb at Iroh. "Can't we just have him take the throne?" Katara asked.

Iroh shook his head. "It is not my place" Iroh said. "The people would only see a brother seizing power from the other."

"That's kind of the point" Katara said. "You would be taking back what should have been yours from the beginning."

"But that would not lead to true peace" Iroh said. "Someone new must take the throne."

"What about Zuko?" Toph asked.

"Have you seen him since the eclipse?" Suki asked. "He's not in very good shape right now."

"And we kind of need a Fire Lord right away" Aang said.

All eyes drifted towards Katara. "Why is everyone looking at me?" Katara asked.

"I'm not" Toph said.

"You do have the body of Fire Nation royalty" Sokka said.

"Are you nuts?" Katara yelled. "There's no way I'm becoming Fire Lord with Ms. Slayer of Fire Lords around here!"

"Hey I thought I was supposed to come up with the nicknames" Toph said.

"Ursa will not be a problem" Iroh said, ignoring Toph. "As long as you don't threaten Zuko, she will leave you alone."

"And what about Azula?" Katara asked. "Do you think she'll cooperate as Fire Lord once we're back in the right bodies?"

"Well you could just…" Sokka said.

A moment of silence passed before Katara realized what her brother implied. "Oh no…" Katara said. "No no no. I am not staying like this for the rest of my life!"

"Katara, listen" Sokka said.

"No!" Katara yelled, turning away from everyone. "I can't believe any of you would ask me to do this."

Katara walked away from her friends, none of them trying to stop her. Aang was about to follow when Sokka grabbed his shoulder, telling him to let Katara be alone. After leaving the throne room Katara wandered the halls of the palace with no destination in mind. She entered the tunnels beneath the palace, hoping to get lost in them as well as in her thoughts.

As she wandered through the dark tunnels Katara thought about what her friends had wanted. They wanted her to give up her life, to give up who she was. It felt like a betrayal of everything she stood for, everything that made her Katara. And yet her thoughts drifted back to the battle with Azula just before the eclipse had arrived.

_I could not have allowed this to end otherwise._

The decision had been crystal clear in the heat of battle. Katara remembered choosing to end Azula then, the only way to make sure she stayed down. At the time she hadn't thought about living as Azula, focusing on making it through that day alive. Part of her had always assumed that Zuko would be the next Fire Lord, and that she could live her own life even in the wrong body.

Wandering around the tunnels beneath the palace led Katara to the Fire Lord's bunker. No one had gone inside since Zuko and Ursa had been taken to the infirmary, no one wanting to visit Ozai's final resting place. Katara opened the door and entered the bunker, lighting the lamps inside. Immediately Katara saw Ozai's remains, left where they lay near the back of the bunker. The Fire Lord's crown was still resting among ashes and blackened bones.

_They want me to take that _Katara thought, staring at the crown. She didn't want it, sickened by all the horror committed with its authority. Katara wished that she could throw the crown into a smelter and destroy it. Walking up to where the crown lay Katara considered using her firebending to melt it right there, the only thing stopping her was the thought that her fire wouldn't be hot enough to completely melt it.

"Look at me, thinking like a firebender" Katara muttered. She could imagine Ozai laughing at her from beyond the grave, amused by the last southern waterbender corrupted into being Fire Nation.

Hearing footsteps took Katara out of her thoughts. Turning towards the door Katara saw Ursa entering the bunker. The older woman looked exhausted, and Katara could swear she saw more gray in Ursa's hair than she remembered seeing the day before. Ursa slowly walked into the bunker, saying nothing as she got closer to Katara. The guards that escorted Ursa remained at the door, keeping an eye on her.

"Shouldn't you be healing Zuko right now?" Katara asked.

Stopping just a few feet from Katara, Ursa glanced at the crown. "Azula and I had to stop for a while" Ursa explained. "The body can only take so much healing at a time."

"And you come here during your break?" Katara asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't expect you to understand" Ursa said, looking away from Katara.

Katara looked at the crown, and then kicked it across the floor. The crown hit the wall and bounced back towards Katara, sliding and coming to a stop at her feet. "Maybe I don't want to understand" Katara said. "Maybe I just want to go back to the life I had before being forced into your daughter's life."

"Many would kill to have what was forced on you" Ursa said.

"And I'd kill to be rid of it!" Katara yelled. Then Katara realized her choice of words. "See? I'm already starting to be like her."

"You're nowhere near being like Azula" Ursa said. "She would take that crown without any hesitation."

"I don't want it" Katara said, kicking the crown towards Ursa. "Zuko should have it."

After letting the crown hit her foot, Ursa bent down and picked it up. "I never wanted either of my children to have this so early in life" Ursa said. "Neither of them are ready."

"At least they were raised to expect it" Katara said. "I don't have a clue about how to run a country, let alone end a war."

"Ending the war could be the easy part" Ursa said with a short laugh. "I've heard about the way you and the Avatar look at each other."

"How could you possibly know about that?" Katara asked with her hands on her hips. "You've never seen us in the same room."

"Servants talk" Ursa explained. "Even the guards suspect there's something between you two."

"What does this have to do with anything important" Katara asked.

"True peace could be achieved if there were a bond between the Fire Lord and the Avatar" Ursa said. "It would be a political engagement, to pacify both sides in this war by wedding their leaders."

"You think that I should marry Aang?" Katara asked.

"Not right away of course" Ursa said. "A few years of courting, some time for a show of romance, the usual rejection of other suitors, et cetera. And if there's some genuine affection, it will make a good lovers tale for the common folk to enjoy."

For a few minutes Katara thought about what Ursa was suggesting. "How do I know you won't kill me like the last two Fire Lords?" Katara asked.

"Both of them threatened my son" Ursa said. "Leave Zuko alone, and I'll leave you alone."

Katara turned away from Ursa, considering what she said. While she could understand what Ursa had suggested, Katara couldn't figure out Ursa's motives. "What about Azula?" Katara asked. "Do you expect me to believe you're fine with her being a waterbender permanently?"

Silence lasted for a few minutes as Ursa hesitated to respond. Katara was about to leave when Ursa finally decided to admit the truth. "It was years since I saw my daughter, before she found me" Ursa said. "I didn't know what she was supposed to look like. You could say I've gotten attached to the way she is now."

Ursa stepped towards Katara and held the crown towards her. Katara looked at the crown, then into Ursa's eyes. "I still don't want that" Katara said. "It's been used to cause so much pain."

"I know" Ursa said. "But now, you can use it to heal that pain."

Still holding the crown in front of her, Ursa waited for Katara to act. Slowly Katara raised her hand and placed it on the crown. "I'm not ready for this" Katara said.

"You don't have to be" Ursa said, letting go of the crown. "You have your friends to help."

Staring at the crown in her hand, Katara found her reflection in the metal. For the first time the reflection seemed tolerable, finally starting to get used to seeing it as hers. "I'll try" Katara said.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

The following day, just before the airships would depart to return the Earth Kingdom survivors to their nation, a coronation of the next Fire Lord was held at the Fire Sage Temple. The temple courtyard was filled with people from both nations, soldiers and nobles alike. After three Fire Lords all failing to secure victory, many of the citizens simply wanted the war to end.

Rumors of a change in the rules of succession were already spreading through the crowd. Using Ozai's succession as precedent, the second heir could take the throne if the first were not available. Many wondered what the fate of their prince was, or discussed the implications of the first female Fire Lord in several generations.

Inside the temple Katara just finished adjusting the royal robes she wore, getting ready to face the crowd. Her friends were already outside keeping an eye on everyone, leaving Katara alone to prepare. This was the point of no return, and she still questioned whether or not this was the right thing to do. Just before Katara was about leave she heard someone walking behind her.

"I hope you're happy" Azula said, walking up to Katara. "You're about to have what I've always wanted."

Turning around Katara noticed that there weren't any guards watching Azula. "Why are you here?" Katara asked.

"I'm not going to miss my own coronation" Azula said. "Even if I don't get to participate in it."

"It was your mother that convinced me to accept this" Katara said. Then she laughed for a moment. "I suspect she wants you all to herself."

Azula laughed at the suspicion. "My family has always had a problem with sharing" Azula said. Then she looked Katara straight in the eyes. "Whatever you do after today, do it well. When all is said and done I want history to see Azula as a great Fire Lord."

"Even if it's all a lie?" Katara asked.

"Especially if it's all a lie" Azula answered. She turned and walked away from Katara, leaving to spend some time with her mother.

Once she was alone, Katara turned and left through the curtain leading outside. Immediately she heard the crowd cheering for the princess, chanting Azula's name. Katara walked past the Fire Sages which rang a gong as she passed them. Once Katara was standing in front of the crowd the people silenced themselves, wanting to hear the ceremony.

On Katara's right were her friends, with Aang in front wearing brand new Air Nomad robes. On Katara's right were Iroh and Ursa, with Azula just arriving to join them. _This is it… _Katara thought as she observed the crowd. Katara knelt in front of the crowd, and heard one of the Fire Sages walk up to her to place the crown in her hair.

"All Hail Fire Lord Azula" the Fire Sage decreed, setting the crown in Katara's topknot.

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Over the years Katara governed to the best of her ability. She gradually withdrew the forces the Fire Nation had in the Earth Kingdom, only leaving a small contingent to assist King Kuei's reclaiming of Ba Sing Se. The colonies in the Earth Kingdom were granted independence from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, and were allowed to create their own government. A United Republic of Nations was born, where people from all nations could live and grow in harmony.

On the day of Sozin's Comet a betrothal between Katara and Aang was made official. Several years later, when both could finally kiss with Azula's face, they wed. The union was celebrated across the world, the first grand party to ignore national divides in centuries. When Katara threw the bouquet at the end of the wedding it was caught by Azula, attending as one of Katara's bridesmaids. Katara didn't know who Azula was dating at the time, just that it was some young Fire Nation noble. She didn't care to find out before her honeymoon with Aang.

As time passed the people started to figure out who Katara really was. Rather than trying to suppress the truth, Katara told anyone she thought was suspecting anything wrong. The servants of the palace were the first to know, many of which already knew by eavesdropping on Katara's private conversations. Eventually the name Azula became a public formality in the capital, and using the name Katara in private became a measure of trust.

When Katara first discovered that she was with child, she decided to drop the façade altogether. She didn't want to potentially scar the baby with the ruse. With the world prospering, Katara figured the people would forgive the deception. A month after the birth of Prince Tenzin, Katara told the truth to the entire world.

All Hail Fire Lord Katara

_A/N: And that's a wrap._

_I'll admit that from the beginning I never intended to reverse the body switch, which a few of you guessed correctly. My original plan also had Zuko and Azula die at some point, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Koh was a Red Herring, until the cameo in the previous chapter._

_And for those of you who care about Shipping, Kataang was the only feasible option for this story. Zutara was out of the question, the premise making it Zucest as well._

_Now I better get back to work on my other stories, current and future. I've got a few plot bunnies caged for the story I put on hold for this one._


End file.
